Insights & Solutions

Jiang, S., Allison, D., Duchowski, A. T. (2022). Hospital greenspaces and the impacts on wayfinding and spatial experience: An explorative experiment through immersive virtual environment (IVE) techniques

Healthcare facilities are notoriously complex spaces, and wayfinding is a common challenge. There is evidence from previous studies that certain design interventions can improve wayfinding, such as environmental cues and clear signage. But people from different backgrounds interpret signage differently, and so we need to think about other ways design can support navigation. Results from this 2022 study by Jiang and colleagues show that visual access to the exterior natural environment seems to help support recognition, orientation, and mood – all of which can set visitors up for better wayfinding, and ultimately – for a better healthcare experience.

Machry, H., Matić, Z., Oh, Y., DuBose, J. R., Morgan, J. S., Love, K. L., Jacob, J. T., Zimring, C. M. (2022). Healthcare design to improve safe doffing of personal protective equipment for care of patients with COVID-19

In the early days of the pandemic, infection prevention protocols were focused on the possibility of contact transmission, including intensive efforts to provide and keep personal protective equipment (PPE) clean. Now, more than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, we have a clear understanding that the main mode of transmission happens via airborne droplets and particles. But contact transmission is still possible, and healthcare leadership must consider how to address contact transmission possibilities from all types of infectious disease. This study gives us good reason to consider standardization, with room for flexibility, in order to support efficient and safe behavior.

Stroebel, R. J., Obeidat, B., Lim, L., Mitchell, J. D., Jasperson, D. B., & Zimring, C. (2021). The impact of clinic design on teamwork development in primary care. Health Care Management Review.

This study by Stroebel and colleagues looked at the relationship of clinic design, specifically co-location of staff, and teamwork in outpatient settings.

Hybschmann, J., Topperzer, M. K., Gjærde, L. K., Born, P., Mathiasen, R., Sehested, A. M., Jennum, P. J., & Sørensen, J. L. (2021). Sleep in hospitalized children and adolescents: A scoping review. Sleep Medicine Reviews

This is a 2021 study by Hybschmann and colleagues. This is new from what we’ve done in our prior 5-minute summaries. This is a literature review, in this case a scoping review. A scoping review is a rigorous and systematic way to establish the scope of a body of literature (like the name implies). It establishes an evidence base without producing a summary answer to a specific research question like a systematic review.

Beauvais, B., Richter, J. P., Kim, F. S., Palmer, E. L., Spear, B. L., Turner, R. C., (2021) A reason to renovate: The association between hospital age of plant and value-based purchasing performance. Health Care Management Review

There is a potential ROI for capital projects, which may have previously been unknown, ignored, or at least, not defined. The authors note that not every organization has the financial ability to fund capital projects, and the investments may cost more than the return associated solely with bonus payments from reimbursement.

Kelada, L., Wakefield, C. E., De Graves, S., Treadgold, C., Dumlao, G., Schaffer, M., O'Brien, T., (2021) Evaluation of an in-hospital recreation room for hospitalised children and their families. Journal of Pediatric Nursing

The play room in this pediatric hospital is the great escape. Let’s use this research and design an escape to get in, not get out.

Noble, L., Devlin, A. S., (2021) Perceptions of psychotherapy waiting rooms: Design recommendations. HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal

The results here tell us far more about what does not work in the design of a behavioral health waiting room, rather than what does work, and the authors propose some types of waiting rooms may give patients the impression that the practitioner does not care about their wellbeing while waiting.

Rubio, N., Macías, F., Gómez, E., (2021) The Children’s Council as a mean of participation in a hospital. American Journal of Nursing Studies

This study shows that “serious play” is a creative way to gain the insight of children through a design decision making process.

Degl' Innocenti, A., Wijk, H., Kullgren, A., Alexiou, E. (2020) The influence of evidence-based design on staff perceptions of a supportive environment for person-centered care in forensic psychiatry. Journal of Forensic Nursing

Staff satisfaction is an essential return on the investment being made to improve the provision and efficiency of care. Getting their detailed feedback on the design of the built environment makes good heart and business sense.

Olausson, S., Wijk, H., Berglund, I. J., Pihlgren, A., Danielson, E. (2021) Patients’ experiences of place and space after a relocation to evidence-based designed forensic psychiatric hospitals. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing

The design of these new person-centered forensic psychiatry facilities is based upon extensive collaboration to ensure that design decisions are grounded in science- and experience-based, systematically provided data, but it does not reflect the patient as an equal contributor in design.