Healthcare architect turned patient: What I learned when admitted to a facility I helped design

I am an architect. My specialty is healthcare. My formal education and 39-year career have taught me many lessons about healthcare design and construction. Some fundamental architectural principles still hold true: “Form ever follows function.” I know a lot about the effects of color, texture and light on the human mind. Even an understanding of the fundamentals of electrical and mechanical engineering has come my way. Those lessons and all that experience pale when compared to what I learned when I entered the hospital as a patient.