Get the latest trends, tools, and resources for improving healthcare environments here. Browse our many free and members-only resources, including research reports and issue briefs, interviews, case studies, design strategies, lessons learned, key point summaries, and webinars.
Log in for more information. Not a member yet and want access to an expanded number of resources? Join Now.
October 2014∘
Project Brief ∘
Learn about: the impact of noise on both patient and staff outcomes, about the methods the research team used to evaluate noise levels, and the difference between patient and staff perceptions of noise sources.
October 2015∘
Project Brief ∘
Learn about: how Florida Waterman built patient rooms to reduce noise, how patient satisfaction scores improved as a result of room design changes, and how the team studied the impact of the new design strategy.
July 2015∘
Project Brief ∘
Learn about: the ways hospital planners worked within both architecture and urban planning parameters; a new facility that could serve various populations in a diverse cultural environment; and a hospital setting that could function as a self-sustaining community and enhance wellness.
March 2015∘
Project Brief ∘
Learn about: the benefits of creating multidisciplinary stakeholder teams, the complications that can arise with some antimicrobial cleaners, and the close connection between cleaning standards and furniture selection.
March 2015∘
Project Brief ∘
Learn about: the design features implemented to create a patient- and family-centered space, the importance of working with like-minded partners who can maintain the vision of the project, and the importance of considering the culture of the organization in conjunction with the new space.
November 2014∘
Project Brief ∘
Learn about: why Moncrief Cancer Center viewed evidence-based design strategies as a natural fit for their environment; three options to support patient treatment conditions; the community spaces created to encourage socializing among patients and visitors.
March 2015∘
Project Brief ∘
Learn about: how the architecture firm's observations informed design solutions for the new clinic, about design methods to improve staff collaboration and maintain patient privacy, and about spaces that allowed caregivers to begin exams immediately after patients arrived.
March 2015∘
Project Brief ∘
Learn about: how Palomar Health facilitated an improvement in patient-provider and staff communication, about the multiple benefits of the organization's new decentralized nursing stations, and how the newly designed healing environment contributed to patient comfort and satisfaction.
March 2015∘
Project Brief ∘
Learn about: sustainable healthcare and what it means to Adelante, the organization's method to evaluate design and operational needs for their new flagship facility, and specific strategies implemented to improve patient and provider communication.
February 2018∘
Tool ∘
Design interventions to improve well-being for patients with behavioral and mental health (BMH) conditions will often have impacts on other populations, as well (e.g., staff, visitors, non-BMH patients who use the same facility). This tool will help you consider those broader impacts and incorporate them into an evidence-based process for a universal design approach.
February 2018∘
Interview ∘
Inside you will learn about: why behavioral health facilities have very different design requirements than general hospitals; how different areas of a behavioral health unit have different safety needs that influence design choices; and which types of safety measures and products should be incorporated into behavioral health units.
Pati, D., Pati, S., & Harvey Jr, T. E. (2016). Security implications of physical design attributes in the emergency department. HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 9(4), 50-63.
August 2014∘
Webinar ∘
Behavioral health settings guided by strict safety design measures often result in spaces that are stark, plain, and isolated - potentially exacerbating environmental stressors and escalating already difficult patient situations. Acute care emergency settings have a particular set of challenges as EDs are predicting increased visits from behavioral health patients. Faced with the challenge of designing a behavioral health care setting in the Emergency Department at UnityPoint Health in Rock Island, IL, the project team hypothesized that the creation of a Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) with a “Living Room Concept” would provide a higher quality of care to patients while assisting in the staff’s ability to quickly consult and treat a diverse set of patients entering the ED.
