Jain Malkin

Jain Malkin has been dedicated to research-based design since the early 1970s, armed with a degree in psychology and a serendipitous entry into the world of healthcare architecture and design when she moved to California. After discovering there was almost nothing published on the design of healthcare facilities at that time she spent a year in hospitals, medical and dental offices observing patient care, office procedures and flow. She started writing articles on how things could be improved, always viewing the facility through the patients' eyes and referencing research studies whenever applicable. There was no Internet; finding and accessing research was a cumbersome process. Many national and international magazines were eager to publish these articles as well as photos of Jain's early nmedical and dental office designs, a number of which went on to win major design awards. And, voila, a career path was born. After a few years of very circuitous and painstaking study to acquire knowledge about specific medical and dental specialities, she decided to write a comprehensive book on the topic to make it easier for other design professionals. That book has been in print for 30 years and remains the primary book on the topic. The new 4th edition, "Medical and Dental Space Planning: A Comprehensive Guide to Design, Equipment, and Clinical Procedures" was released in June 2014 and contains almost totally new material because so much had changed since the former edition published in 2002.

Since the first edition of the book, Jain felt it was essential to include explanations of clinical procedures and equipment and this makes the book extremely helpful to design professionals because, without understanding how things work and the various procedures associated with each medical specialty, it would be impossible to design a really functional space. This information is valuable also for physicians and dentists in planning new offices. Woven into all of this is important information about building codes, licensing and accreditation so important for ambulatory surgery centers and also for office-based surgery. The new 4th edition is the culmination of a designer's lifework in this field, representing 40 years of study and practice.

Readers of the 4th edition note: The important space programming questionnaires for medical and dental facilities can be downloaded from the Wiley.com website under the book title.