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Knowledge Repository

A complete, user-friendly database of healthcare design research references MoreLess about the Knowledge Repository

The Knowledge Repository is a complete, user-friendly database of healthcare design research references that continues to grow with the latest peer-reviewed publications. Start with our Knowledge Repository for all of your searches for articles and research citations on healthcare design topics. Access full texts through the source link, read key point summaries, or watch slidecasts. Expand your search and find project briefs, interviews, and other relevant resources by visiting our Insights & Solutions page.

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Displaying 1 - 20 of 66

The experience of person-centred practice in a 100% single-room environment in acute care settings – a narrative literature review

Author(s): Kelly, R., Brown, D., McCance, T., Boomer, C.
The increasing number of single-patient rooms in healthcare facilities around the world indicates a heightened focus on person-centered practice (PcP). This practice considers how the workflows and physical designs within healthcare environments influence the overall experiences of patients and staff alike.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2018

A regional survey on residents’ preferences on patient-centered medical home design in rural areas

Author(s): Cai, H., Spreckelmeyer, K., Mendenhall, A., Li, D., Holmes, C., Levy, M.
The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) is a delivery model for primary care that is characterized by the recognition of unique patient needs while providing accessible services, a focus on safety and quality, comprehensive care, and coordinated care.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2018

‘I want to feel at home’: establishing what aspects of environmental design are important to people with dementia nearing the end of life

Author(s): Fleming, R., Kelly, F., Stillfried, G.
As the global population of elderly patients seeking end-of-life care increases, greater attention is being placed on how healthcare environments can work to best provide these patients with the most positive and life-enriching experiences possible.
Key Point Summary
Added November 2018

Influence of soundscape and interior design on anxiety and perceived tranquillity of patients in a healthcare setting

Author(s): Watts, G., Khan, A., Pheasant, R.
The authors open their paper with a brief introduction on tranquil spaces and their relevance in a healthcare setting – improved hospital recovery rates, stress reduction, and more. According to the authors, tranquil spaces are spaces having a pleasant and calming effect – typically natural environments – specifically defined by low manmade sounds. The authors allude to the necessity of creating...
Key Point Summary
Added September 2017

Developing family rooms in mental health inpatient units: An exploratory descriptive study

Author(s): Isobel, S., Foster, K., Edwards, C.
Adult inpatients receiving treatment at mental health facilities often wish to visit with family members. Indeed, previous research indicates that caregivers, consumers, and medical professionals agree that children of parents with mental illness (COPMI) should be able to spend time with their parents for the mutual benefit of both patients and families.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2017

Meeting Patient Expectations During Hospitalization: A Grounded Theoretical Analysis of Patient-Centered Room Elements

Author(s): Patterson, E. S., Sanders, E. B.-N., Sommerich, C. M., Lavender, S. A., Li, J., Evans, K. D.
A 2016 study found that tens of millions of patients within the U.S. were hospitalized for an average of 4.8 days, while a separate study found that roughly 65.7 million people (or roughly 29% of the adult population) within the U.S. are considered caregivers for children or other adults. Other previous studies indicate that rooms that are specially designed to support patients and caregivers can reduce patient and caregiver stress and ultimately improve the overall healing processes.
Key Point Summary
Added March 2017

Patient Needs and Environments for Cancer Infusion Treatment

Author(s): Wang, Z., Pukszta, M.
Roughly 1.5 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer every year, and more than 50% of cancer patients receive chemotherapy for treatment. Chemotherapy is delivered through infusion, which uses an intravenous (IV) administration and support system to deliver treatment.
Key Point Summary
Added February 2017

Key Spatial Factors Influencing the Perceived Privacy in Nursing Units: An Exploration Study With Eight Nursing Units in Hong Kong

Author(s): Lu, Y., Cai, H., Bosch, S. J.
Healthcare designers are faced with a challenging task when trying to balance patient privacy with safety and well-being. While patients typically expect some degree of privacy during their treatment processes, it is also commonly understood that caregivers need appropriate access to them so that proper treatment can be administered.
Key Point Summary
Added October 2016

Security Implications of Physical Design Attributes in the Emergency Department

Author(s): Pati, D., Pati, S., Harvey, T. E.
In this paper, the authors consider “security” a subset of “safety,” and note that security is imperative for providing efficient patient care, especially in emergency departments (EDs). Security is defined as the protection of people and property, while safety is defined as the broader concept of delivering patient care.
Key Point Summary
Added September 2016

A Recovery-Oriented Care Approach: Weighing the Pros and Cons of a Newly Built Mental Health Facility

Author(s): Ahern, C. C., Bieling, P., McKinnon, M. C., McNeely, H. E., Langstaff, K.
An inpatient mental health hospital was renovated with a newly built environment that incorporated patient-centered, clinically informed designs in an attempt to improve overall safety and quality of care. The new designs were considerably expensive and had extensive design implications for other parts of the hospital outside of the mental health facility.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2016

A nursing home staff tool for the indoor visual environment: The content validity

Author(s): Sinoo, M. M., Kort, H. S. M., Loomans, M. G. L. C., Schols, J. M. G. A.
Visual impairments affecting residents of nursing homes can arise from numerous causes, and they can directly affect these residents’ quality of life by jeopardizing their ability to participate in daily activities such as reading, watching television, or even interacting with others. The physical makeup of the nursing home itself can work to either help or hinder its residents, and in cases in which the environment is beneficial, the nursing home can be called an “environmental fit.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2016

The effect of hospital layout on caregiver-patient communication patterns

Author(s): Pachilova, R., Sailer, K.
This article suggests that the field of evidence-based design (EBD), which considers information from case evaluations and credible research during design-related decision processes, has only marginally examined hospital layouts and their effects. As a result, this study attempts to build on the tradition of “Space Syntax” research, which is a theory that explores how space controls and generates encounters between inhabitants and visitors of certain spaces and how these two groups engage in communication.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2016

Meeting the Needs of Visually Impaired People Living in Lifetime Homes

Author(s): Rooney, C., Hadjri, K., Rooney, M., Faith, V., McAllister, K., Craig, C.
Lifetime Homes standards (LTHS) are a group of mandatory public-sector housing design interventions used in the U.K. They attempt to provide a model that ensures adaptable and accessible homes for the entire duration of an occupant’s stay. Changes in one’s physical environment, much like the ones implemented by LTHS, could help reduce the impact of disabilities such as visual impairment, and could help give patients different degrees of communal living with some level of independence.
Key Point Summary
Added May 2016

To see or not to see: Investigating the links between patient visibility and potential moderators affecting the patient experience

Author(s): Bosch, S. J., Apple, M., Hiltonen, B., Worden, E., Lu, Yi, Nanda, U., Kim, D.
The amount of visibility between patients and nursing staff contributes significantly to the balance between feelings of security and autonomy. Hospitals in which patients are in constant view of the staff can create a sense of restricted freedom, but high visibility can also be associated with higher levels of patient safety. There has been ongoing debate within the medical community as to how a perfect balance between security and autonomy can be implemented. This study took place at a hospital with a radial nursing unit.
Key Point Summary
Added April 2016

Qualities of Inpatient Hospital Rooms: Patients’ Perspectives

Author(s): Devlin, A. S., Andrade, C. C., Carvalho, D.
Previous studies suggest that healthcare environments can promote patient well-being if they are designed to do three things: 1) give patients a sense of control over their social and physical surroundings, 2) provide patients with access to social support, and 3) provide patients with access to positive distractions.
Key Point Summary
Added April 2016

Developing the Birth Unit Design Spatial Evaluation Tool (BUDSET) in Australia: A Qualitative Study

Author(s): Foureur, M., Leap, N., Davis, D., Forbes, I., & Homer, C.
To develop a tool to assess the “optimality” of birth unit design. This is important because “Optimal birth spaces are likely to enable women to have physiologically normal labor and birth.”
Key Point Summary
Added January 2016

Delusions and Underlying Needs in Older Adults with Alzheimer’s Disease

Author(s): Wang, J., Cheng, W., Lai, P., & Pai, M.
The purpose of this study was to understand the influences of earlier life experiences and the current environment on delusions, as well as the underlying needs of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) experiencing delusions.
Key Point Summary
Added January 2016

Designing a “Think-Along Dwelling” for People with Dementia: A Co-Creation Project Between Health Care and the Building Services Sector

Author(s): Van Hoof, J., Blom, M. M., Post, H. N. A., & Bastein, W. L
Many of the elderly prefer to age-in-place. However, if one of the elderly developments dementia, particular challenges may be posed when designing, constructing, or retrofitting an existing home environment. In the Netherlands about two-thirds of the people with dementia live at home. This is the setting for this study.
Key Point Summary
Added January 2016

The Impact of Bedside Technology on Patients’ Well-Being

Author(s): Tanja-Dijkstra K.
The presence of wires, tubes, and monitors near the bedside may contribute to patients’ stress and anxiety. One of the trends in healthcare design is to organize the headwalls of patient rooms in such a way as to reduce clutter and minimize the visibility of medical equipment.
Key Point Summary
Added January 2016

Care Home Design for People with Dementia: What do People with Dementia and Their Family Carers Value?

Author(s): Innes, A., Kelly, F., Dincarslan, O.
A ‘dementia-friendly’ environment is argued to compensate for disability and should consider both the importance for the person with dementia of his/her experiences within the environment and also the social, physical, and organizational environments that impact on these experiences.
Key Point Summary
Added January 2016