Staff-Centered Design in Radiation Oncology Interiors: Implications for Healthcare Workers’ Wellbeing

Radiation oncology units (ROU) are one of the most technologically intricate, heavily regulated, spatially constrained, and mentally taxing environments inside healthcare facilities. Although modern hospital design discussions focus increasingly on healing environments, sustainability and patient-centered design; the wellbeing of healthcare workers especially ROU staff remains largely unexamined. Current standards often focus on radiaton safety and technical requirements combined with stringent spatial constraints, can intensify occupational stress. This study aims to fill a critical gap by exploring staff wellbeing, framing these units as healing workplaces that strengthen clinical safety, effectiveness. Within framefork evidence-based design, it examines staff-centered design (SCD) through design elements like lighting, ergonomics, biophilia, restorative spaces and acoustics. This comparative analysis evaluates ROUs of ten intenationally cancer centers through literature and secondary data. The results indicate prevalent SCD strategies, highlight the architectural paradox of safety constraints and human-centered spatial quality and propose design indicators for improving staff wellbeing.