Facing the challenge of patient transfers: Using ceiling lifts in healthcare facilities
2008
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 2
Pages 6-16
Author(s): Vieira, E. R., Miller, L.
Manual patient transfers contribute to a higher rate of injury for healthcare providers. Manual patient transfers present a high risk of injury and nurses are at significant risk for transfer-related injury, including low back problems.
Added August 2018
Establishing an acute care nursing bed unit size: Employing a decision matrix framework
2008
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 1
Pages 122-132
Author(s): Ritchey, T., Pati, D.
Deciding on the optimal number of beds for an acute care unit requires the consideration of elements including how the unit fits with existing and adjacent structures; how clinical information systems will be used in unit operations; nursing workforce characteristics; patient safety; and advocacy.
Added August 2018
Reinterpreting the hospital corridor: “Wasted space” or essential for quality multidisciplinary clinical care?
2008
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 2
Pages 17-29
Author(s): Carthey, J.
This paper reviews the literature on the functions of corridors in the healthcare setting and highlights the need to reconsider these spaces as a functional component of an effective healthcare organization.
Added August 2018
Analysis of Departmental Area in Contemporary Hospitals: Calculation Methodologies & Design Factors in Major Patient Care Departments
Author(s): Allison, D., Hamilton, D. K.
Ratios used to calculate proposed departmental gross square footage constitute key information used in the process of programming, planning, and design. The ratio of net [usable] square footage to departmental gross square footage is commonly called the “net-to-gross ratio.” It is used by programmers, planners, and consultants to project the total area of proposed departments based on programmed net square feet required to perform the proposed workload of the department.
Added April 2018
Review: The impact of art, design and environment in mental healthcare: A systematic review of the literature
2008
The Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 128
Pages 85-94
Author(s): Daykin, N., Byrne, E., Soteriou, T., O'Connor, S.
There is increasing evidence that attractive environments can enhance the experiences of healthcare users. What creates attractive environments may be relative to the country where that healthcare is provided. This paper was written in the UK and was an attempt to find research that supports the use of art to create healing environments along with the role of art in encouraging civic pride. It was part of a two-year evaluation of a commissioned arts program in a UK mental health trust.
Added January 2016
Nurses’ Perception of Noise Levels in Hospitals in Spain
2008
Journal of Nursing Administration
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 38
Pages 220-222
Author(s): del Pilar Marques Sanchez, M., Calle Pardo, A. P., Calvo Sanchez, D., Nunez Gelado, Y. & Mompart Garcia, M. P.
Even though we know that noise has an impact on patients, how noise impacts the work environment of nurses is not well understood. In general, relevant studies show that the worse types of noise for patients are background noise, vibrations, screen alarms, and other people talking. Nurse researchers in Spain recently completed the first phase of a multiphase study to identify the most annoying noises in the practice environment.
Added January 2016
Leading Change During an Inpatient Critical Care Unit Expansion
2008
Journal of Nursing Administration
Journal Article
Issue 11
Volume 38
Pages 461-467
Author(s): Braungardt, T. & Fought, S. G.
Acute care hospitals are changing rapidly to address economic and technologic advancements and meet community needs. The authors describe one medical center’s use of Kotter’s work on leading change to expand the neuroscience intensive care unit from 10 to 30 beds to meet community needs, improve hospital efficiencies, and increase bed capacity.
Added January 2016
Conveniently located “napping rooms” provide opportunity for night- and extended-shift providers to rest, leading to less fatigue and better performance.
2008, last updated October 23, 2013
US Department of Health and Human Services; AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) website
Journal Article
Author(s):
Healthcare providers are known for working unacceptably long hours and being chronically sleep deprived. Often, physicians and nurses work 24+ hour shifts, leading to fatigue and avoidable errors that put both caregivers and patients at risk of serious injury or death. Acute and chronic sleep deprivation can mimic the effects of drunkenness.
Added November 2014
Heights of occupied patient beds: a possible risk factor for inpatient falls.
2008
Journal of Clinical Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 11
Volume 17
Pages 1503-1509
Author(s): Tzeng, H. M., Yin, C. Y.
The height of occupied patient beds can be an overlooked contributor to inpatient falls. Hospital bed frames are still eight–12 inches higher than those of home bedframes. The difference in heights may contribute to inpatient falls related to getting in and out of bed and to the severity of fall-related injuries. Better physical design of hospital equipment such as patient beds may reduce patient falls and injuries.
Added November 2014
Cluster randomised trial of a targeted multifactorial intervention to prevent falls among older people in hospital.
2008
British Medical Journal
Journal Article
Issue 7647
Volume 336
Pages 758-760
Author(s): Cumming, R. G., Sherrington, C., Lord, S. R., Simpson, J. M., Vogler, C., Cameron, I. D., Naganathan, V.
Falls often occur among older people in hospitals, resulting in injuries, increased lengths of stay, and greater costs to the health center. Evidence on the best way to prevent falls in hospitals is limited.
Added November 2014
Operating room ventilation with laminar airflow shows no protective effect on the surgical site infection rate in orthopedic and abdominal surgery
2008
Annals of Surgery
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 248
Pages 695-700
Author(s): Brandt, C., Hott, U., Sohr, D., Daschner, F., Gastmeier, P., Rüden, H.
Operating rooms (ORs) in hospitals of different countries use ventilation systems to assist with the prevention of surgical site infections (SSIs). The authors cite literature to show that adequate evidence does not exist to support the use of expensive ventilation systems in preventing SSIs.
Added November 2014
Reducing Falls in a Definitive Observation Unit: An Evidence-Based Practice Institute Consortium Project
2008
Critical Care Nursing Quarterly
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 31
Pages 127-139
Author(s): Gutierrez, F., Smith, K.
A Definitive Observation Unit (DOU) in a hospital in California maintains high standards of nursing and follows an evidence-based practice of fall prevention. Yet the facility’s fall rates continue to be higher than the benchmark for similar hospitals.
Added September 2014
Healthcare Leadership White Paper Series - Maximizing The Impact of Nursing Care Quality: A Closer Look at the Hospital Work Environment and the Nurse’s Impact on Patient-Care Quality
2008
The Center for Health Design
Report
Author(s): Hendrich, A.L., Chow, M.
Current hospital work environments have inefficient work processes, physical designs, technology infrastructure, and organizational cultures that cause inefficiencies and nursing stressors that compromise direct patient care.
Added September 2014
The Impact of Facility Improvements on Hospital Nurses
2008
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 1
Pages 5-13
Author(s): Berry, L. L., Parish, J. T.
Despite the increase of research related to the design of healthcare facilities, studies of the impact of facility features on hospital staff are far less common than those that examine the impact on patients. Yet it is important to design healthcare facilities based on the best available evidence, especially given that hospitals require a significant capital investment and are the foundation for life-saving work.
Added September 2014
Ambulatory Facility Design and Patients' Perceptions of Healthcare Quality
2008
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 1
Pages 35-54
Author(s): Becker, F., Sweeney, B., Parsons, K.
Sleep is crucial to the well-being of humans, especially so for the recovery of those undergoing treatment or recuperating in hospitals. The authors cite studies that allude to the relevance quality of sleep has on health, neurodevelopment, generally, and to immune functioning and healing in patients.
Added September 2014
Relationships Between Exterior Views and Nurse Stress: An Exploratory Examination
2008
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 1
Pages 27-38
Author(s): Pati, D., Harvey, T. E., Barach, P.
Nursing is a stressful job, and the impacts of stress on performance are well documented. Nursing stress, however, has been typically addressed through operational interventions, even though the ability of the physical environment to modulate stress in humans is well known. This study explores the outcomes of exposure to exterior views from nurse work areas.
Added September 2014
Mock-Ups as “Interactive Laboratories”: Mixed Methods Research Using Inpatient Unit Room Mock-Ups
2008
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 2
Pages 66-81
Author(s): Watkins, N., Myers, D., Villasante, R.
Simulations allow designers and researchers an opportunity to evaluate how users may interact with a proposed environment prior to the construction of a design. While mock-ups have been used in healthcare environments to assess the efficacy of design solutions, to help clients experience proposed design decisions, and to make changes prior to the building phase and evaluate products and technology, minimal literature exists detailing multiple or mixed methods that can be used to evaluate the results associated with the use of mock-ups from a participatory, qualitative, and quantitative perspective.
Added September 2014
Humane Design for Hospital Landscapes: A Case Study in Landscape Architecture of a Healing Garden for Nurses
2008
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 2
Pages 82-119
Author(s): Naderi, J. R., Shin, W.-H.
Research has shown many direct and indirect health benefits related to views of nature and access to nature. As hospitals begin to integrate ecological sites, it becomes imperative to understand the interconnection between future users’ attitudes and preferences, intended health outcomes, and the design features within the natural environment.
Added September 2014
Stress-reducing effects of indoor plants in the built healthcare environment: the mediating role of perceived attractiveness.
2008
Preventive Medicine
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 47
Pages 279-283
Author(s): Dijkstra, K., , Pieterse, M.E., Pruyn, A.
Previous research findings have demonstrated that the presence of natural elements such as plants and other interior features can promote patients’ recovery from stress and increase pain tolerance. Research has likewise provided evidence that people have an innate tendency to respond positively to natural elements, and that these can contribute to a more positive impression of healthcare settings. Environments that are perceived to be more attractive also have been shown to have beneficial effects such as reducing stress or improving impressions of quality of care. In reviewing the body of research to date, the authors suggest however, that underlying processes at work here are not yet well understood.
Added August 2014
Bed and Toilet Height as Potential Environmental Risk Factors.
2008
Clinical Nursing Research
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 17
Pages 50-66
Author(s): Capezuti, E., Wagner, L., Brush, B. L., Boltz, M., Renz, S., Secic, M.
Approximately 60 percent of all nursing home residents have difficulty transferring out of bed independently. The ability to safely rise to a standing position is an important determinant of independence among older adults. The ability to transfer out of bed from a sit to stand position is dependent on several general patient characteristics such as age, functional status, and disease state.
Added August 2014
