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.
February 2018∘
Interview ∘
Learn about how the design of a new psychiatric facility strives to normalize mental illness through carefully chosen materials with the goal of creating a “homey,” non-institutional setting, why private patient rooms will be included in the new final building as an important part of the design concept, and how research helped shape the architects’ beliefs that the built environment should support patients’ dignity and independence as part of the recovery process.
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.
April 2017∘
Interview ∘
Learn about: the importance of using durable products and finishes in senior living environments, the key to designing a functional and effective senior living environment, and how manufacturers, designers, and industry leaders collaborate to improve the lives of the aging population.
Learn about: using green cleaners to improve patient satisfaction scores around the perception of cleanliness, the negative health impacts associated with traditional cleaning products, and the healthier interiors challenge to reduce the use of harmful chemicals.
Learn about: the key cleanliness issues facing the healthcare industry today, the issues that drive patient perceptions about cleanliness, and the ways architects and designers can help improve perceptions of cleanliness.
Learn about: the importance of considering patients' perceptions of cleanliness, ways to look beyond patient perception of cleanliness to create a truly clean environment, and things architects and designers can do to help create clean spaces.
Learn about: the frustrations associated with maintaining clean spaces, the ways designers and architects can set the stage for maintiaining clean spaces, and the importance of training staff to observe patient behavior.
Learn about: strategies that disrupt pathogen transmission, the numerous reasons that sink location is important and why post-occupancy evaluations by the design/architecture community are necessary.
Learn about: the ways facilities can maximize reimbursements in light of healthcare reform mandates, the important work architects and designers can do to help with the implications of the Affordable Care Act and tools and resources that are available to help understand the connection between design and outcomes.
Wingler, D., & Hector, R. (2015). Demonstrating the effect of the built environment on staff health-related quality of life in ambulatory care environments. Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 8(4), 25-40.
