Designing architecture of soothing labor–delivery–recovery–postpartum unit: a study protocol

BACKGROUND: The physical environment profoundly affects women's well-being during childbirth in family-centered unit. A LDRP, which is an acronym for labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum that describes a maternity unit designed for family-centered care. This study aimed to design soothing LDRP healing architecture based on recognizing the emotional elements of Iranian women. METHODS: This study will be conducted in four consecutive phases; including review of literature to provide documentation based on architectural knowledge and the effects of each architectural component on the parturient psychological conditions, qualitative study to extract women's needs and suggestions for physiological childbirth, architectural designing of the soothing LDRP based on the results of the first and second phases and qualitative study for evaluation of the designed program. DISCUSSION: Designing soothing LDRP architecture based on safe child birth unit standards and favorable psychological environment will provide a positive childbirth experience for Iranian women and their family. But, the preferences and demands of families will be based on Iranian socio-cultural context, therefore the using of this design will be limited in other societies with different cultures.