Experts, scholars and industrial insiders from home and abroad pose for a group photo at an international forum foreseeing the future development of hospitals at the School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University on Dec 11. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Picture what would happen if doctors from decades ago traveled through time to the present day and randomly entered a modern hospital.

They might be awed by the major changes in medical science, such as the application of minimally invasive methods and robotics and precision equipment in the operating room.

The same would likely be true if today's providers took a trip forward in time.

An international forum at the School of Medicine of Shanghai Jiao Tong University on Dec 11 took a peek into the development of future hospitals.

Gathering a panel of experts, scholars and industrial insiders from South Korea, France, China and the United States, the forum created an easy and inviting climate for the heavyweight guests to brainstorm on hospitals' technological, architectural and practicable possibilities.

Stan Chiu, principal of HGA in the US, and Luo Meng, an official at the Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, shared their western and eastern perspectives on the architectural considerations of future hospitals.

With a goal of optimizing care delivery, Chiu put forward three ideas on process improvement – more effective care, human experience, and project delivery – which focused on security, convenience and cost-efficiency and also highlighted user feedback.

His Chinese counterpart Luo listed 11 points based on his rethinking of China's hospital design, such as taking prospective looks into potential future use, making the establishments more people-friendly, and running the hospitals in a green and recyclable way.

He put special emphasis on forward thinking, as integrating it with hospital design will help medical establishments be at the front of their times and be responsive to changing situations.

"The day a hospital is erected, its further improvement must get underway," Luo said.