Additional Reading and Resources
Find the tools and resources you need to help you achieve EDAC accreditation. The following list of resources and publications can help you set the context for the EDAC and provide supplemental information to the Study Guides.
Books
Magazines/Journals
Research Reports and Papers
Facility Examples
Industry Guidlines and Standards
Organizations
Online Rescources
EDAC Sample Exam
Test your readiness for the EDAC exam by taking our 50 queston sample exam. Download the exam now.
Featured EBD Case Study: St. Mary's Medical Center North, Powell, Tennessee
St. Mary’s Medical Center North demonstrates the positive benefits associated with evidence-based design, innovative medical technology, plus patient- and family-centered care.
The 206,000-square-foot hospital includes 72 private patient rooms (12 intensive care beds and 60 acute care beds); a Surgery Department with six operating rooms, six post-anesthesia care beds and 18 preoperative and recovery beds; and a Surgical Services unit. The Emergency Department, which accommodates 45,000 annual visits, houses two trauma rooms and 14 emergency exam rooms (expandable to 20 beds).
Based on the findings from hospitals participating in The Center for Health Design's research, the design team from HDR Architecture selected design elements shown to enhance patient safety, reduce the risk of infection, and provide a healing environment to accelerate recovery and discharge.
For example, patient-safe principles are incorporated into every inpatient room, clinical treatment area and the clinical staff work environment. A standardized room design improves patient safety, as equipment, supplies, and furnishings are found in the same locations in every room. The Universal Patient Room concept was used so patient rooms can accommodate various patient acuity levels for greater operational flexibility.
Handrails integrated into bedside tables lead continuously to the patient bathroom. Reflective light fixtures improve patient comfort, while high-quality soundproofing used for interior walls and structural systems are designed to reduce the transmission of vibration and noise.
The family has been incorporated into patient care by providing a family zone in each room (including a sleep sofa, separate television, internet and lighting). The family also has access to a nourishment pantry, family kitchen and family waiting lounges.
Direct observation workstations allow nurses to view two patients from a single vantage point, improving efficiency and quality of care simultaneously. Operational efficiencies are also gained from decentralized nurse workstations and “pass through” supply/pharmacy cabinets. A hands-free staff communication system is combined with a robust tracking system and remote monitoring devices to support the decentralized nursing concept.
Books
The Practitioner's Guide to Evidence-Based Design , CHD Research Coalition
In a Q&A format, this easy-to-read guide offers five questions that are relevant to helping you prepare for the EDAC exam:
Q1: Do my results constitute evidence?
"Benchmarking; talking with experts, clients, and users; and observing how your own designs have been used--all can yield valuable information... An EBD process should exploit all available information and critically analyze findings from different sources to help designers make informed design decisions." Get the full answer.
Q2: Where can I find the kind of information I need?
"With so much information available online, even a day or two of investigation can uncover research that, while likely not answering every question, can stimulate your thinking and help guide the search for innovative design solutions." Get the full answer.
Q3: How do I interpret research results?
"The results of any study, regardless of rigor, are open to multiple interpretations. More precisely, three are always questions that can be asked about any study." Get the full answer.
Q4: How do I reconcile research studies that have conflicting or contradictory findings?
"Finding studies that contradict one another is not unusual. Compared to a chemistry experiment conducted under tightly controlled conditions in a laboratory using standardized measures and procedures, field research is inherently 'messier'." Get the full answer.
Q5: What is a Post-Occupancy Evaluation?
"When designers and researchers asses the effectiveness of a building, normally they think in terms of occupancy evaluation. Occupancy evaluations are studies of buildings that address the sucesses and failures of design decisions (Shepley, 1996b)...A post -occupancy evaluation is one of the most common types of research used to inform EBD." Get the full answer.
A Visual Reference for Evidence-Based Design, Jain Malkin
Evidence-Based Healthcare Design, Rosalyn Cama
Evidence-Based Design for Multiple Building Types, D. Kirk Hamilton, David H. Watkins
Sustainable Healthcare Architecture, Robin Guenther and Gail Vittori
Improving Healthcare with Better Building Design, Sara O. Marberry
Magazines/Journals
Architectural Record
Contract Magazine
Environments & Behavior
Facility Care
Healthcare Construction and Operations
Health Environments Research and Design Journal (HERD Journal)
HEALTHCARE DESIGN Magazine
Health Facilities Management
Hospital and Health Networks
Interiors and Sources
Journal of Architectural and Planning Research
Modern Healthcare
Physician Executive
Research Reports and Papers
Healthcare Leadership White Paper Series: Five Papers for Healthcare Executives
Healthcare at the Cross Roads: Guiding Principles for the Development of the Hospital of the Future
Using Evidence-Based Environmental Design to Enhance Safety & Quality
Facility Examples
Bronson Methodist Hospital
The Children's Hospital
Cornell University
Military Health Systems
Palomar Pomerado Health
St. Joseph's Community Hospital
Industry Guidlines and Standards
2006 Guildines for Construction of Healthcare Facilities
Green Guide for Healthcare
Organizations
American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers
American Association of Interior Designers
American Hosptial Association (AHA)
American College of Healthcare Architects
American Institute of Architects
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Centers for Studying Health System Change
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
Cochrane Collaboration
Commonwealth Fund Commission
Department of Health and Human Services
Global Health and Safety Initiative (GHSI)
Institute of Medicine
Joint Commission
National Quality Forum
Planetree
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Informe Design
Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
Online Resources
Ebsco Database
GoogleScholar
Hospital Compare: Find and compare hospitals online
IRB's and Ethics
Literature Reviews
National Transportation Library
Open Archives Initiative
RIPPLE Database
Webfeat (federated search technology)
Clinic Design - Transforming Primary Care Environments
