A group of students from the master’s degree course in hospital design and management at the Sapienza University of Rome with Prof. Eugenio Arbizzani visited the ‘Pietro Barilla’ Children’s Hospital in Parma, accompanied by our architect Sergio Beccarelli, a lecturer on the course. The paediatric facility completed in 2013, which is cited as an international case study, expresses an approach to paediatric care in which architecture itself contributes to the care of young patients and pursues the objective of safeguarding the total well-being of people starting from the principle that “not everything about a sick child is sick”.Maternal and Infantile Department Director Emilio Casolari, Health Professions Director Rita Lombardini, and Intercompany Technical Activities Director Renato Maria Saviano received the students and guided them through the wards.The bio-psycho-social model developed for the Children’s Hospital indicates that external environmental factors can contribute to the performance of individuals to improve their quality of life.The visit was not just a tour, but a rich learning experience. It allowed the students, including doctors, architects, and engineers, to witness the practical execution of what was explained in the lecture. They saw firsthand how the humanisation of care has been translated into the attention paid to different levels in the organisational, care, and health realities. This approach aims to facilitate the use of the facility by users and staff, a valuable lesson that will undoubtedly shape their future work in the field.

Further details regarding the paediatric hospital can be found in the ‘Case Studies’ section: https://policreo.it/it/caso-studio/ospedale-dei-bambini-pietro-barilla-di-parma/