Health Environments Research & Design (HERD) Journal

Fall 2008 VOL. 2, NO. 1

Opinion

Facing the Challenges of Patient Transfers: Using Ceiling Lifts in Healthcare Facilities

Edgar Ramos Viera, PT, MSc, PhD; and Linda Miller, OT, MEDes

The objective was to review the literature on the use of ceiling lifts to perform patient transfers in healthcare settings. Manual patient transfers present a high risk of injury.  Ceiling lifts are increasingly used in healthcare facilities.  Despite this, little is known about the effects of this new technology. 

Reinterpreting the Hospital Corridor: "Wasted Space" or Essential for Quality Mulitdisciplinary Clinical Care?

Jane Carthey, RMIT, MPM

The planning of New South Wales (NSW) and other Australian health facilities is guided by the Australasian Health Facility Guidlines (AHFG), which prescribe allowances for circulation (corridors and similar areas for movement between spaces) of between 10% and 40% of functional floor areas.  A further allownace of up to 28% for Travel and Engineering is then assumed.  Therefore the "circulation" and "travel" space manifested as the corridors and similar movement spaces within the health facilities is both extensive and expensive. 

This paper revisits the view that corridor space allocations (circulation) must always be minimized to achieve design or functional efficiencies.  Minimizing circulation or travel inevitably assumes that the realized space savings will then be reallocated to "more important" areas of the facility.  Yet the corridors and other movment spaces also are very important to the functioning of multidisciplinary clinical teams.

Popeye's Chicken, Design, and Another Five Senses

Linda Porter Bishop, IIDA, ASID, AAHID, LEED AP

Many healthcare facilites strive to develope the perfect patient experience.  In the process, authenticity and good design are often overlooked in favor of thematic architecture.  The author presents five design considerations, or five senses, necessary to create an authentic and well-designed healthcare facility.

Theory

Integrating Health Records in the Physical Environment: A Systems Approach

Carrie R. Rich, MS Candidate; and Tama Duffy Day, FASID, IIDA, LEED

Electronic health records (EHRs) are the future of the healthcare industry; however, insufficient attention is paid to where and how the hardware systems that support EHR software are integrated in the existing environment...The findings of this paper posit that where EHR hardware is designed ergonomically and with provider-patient communication at the forefront of point-of-care services, EHR usage in the healthcare environment can improve the qulity of health service delivery.  This article is the result of a literature review, case studies, academic lectures, healthcare informatics webinars, and discussions with architects, interior design professionals, and corporate EHR leaders.

Research

Mock-Ups as "Interactive Laboratories": Mixed-Methods Research Using Inpatient Unit Room Mock-Ups

Nicholas Watkins, PhD; Donald Myers, AIA; and Ronald Villasante, MArch, MRCP, RA, CAP

The objective of this research was to establish evidence-based design (EBD) guidlines for inpatient rooms at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities.  The mock-ups allowd resarchers and designers to evaluate and confirm EBD solutions and strategies for the development of VA inpatient room standards.  When used as a means for mixed-methods research, mock-ups can successfully integrate research and design during project-related work. EBD research using mock-ups not only addresses project-or organization-specific concerns, but it may contribute to the knowledge base of the healthcare design community.

Humane Design for Hospital Landscapes: A Case Study in Landscape Architecture of a Healing Garden for Nurses

Jody Rosenblatt Naderi, MLA, RLA; and Woo-Hwa Shin, PhD Candidate

Book Review

New Hospital Buildings in Germany

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