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.
Added June 2016
The Business Case for Building Better Neonatal Intensive Care Units
Journal of Perinatology
2014
Journal Article
Issue 11
Volume 34
Pages 811-815
Author(s): Shepley, M., Smith, J.A., Sadler, B.L. & White, R.D.
There is increasing evidence that the physical environment of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) has a tangible effect on the vulnerable infants who spend the first crucial weeks or months of their life there.
Added January 2016
Using Lean-Based Systems Engineering to Increase Capacity in the Emergency Department
2014
Western Journal of Emergency Medicine
Journal Article
Issue 7
Volume 15
Pages 770-776
Author(s): White, B., Chang, Y., Grabowski, B., Brown, D.
Emergency department (ED) crowding is a widespread issue that causes a multitude of negative effects on patient care quality, safety, and efficiency. Lean-based systems engineering, which is often used for industrial manufacturing, is a method for eliminating all forms of waste (including wasted time and other resources) to optimize productivity. Recent studies have begun to demonstrate the use of systems engineering and improvement science on streamlining processes and improving throughput in different medical capacities, but an opportunity remains to refine the application of these tools within EDs in particular.
Added December 2015
Centralized to hybrid nurse station: Communication and teamwork among nursing staff
2015
Journal of Nursing Education and Practice
Journal Article
Issue 12
Volume 5
Pages 34-41
Author(s): Zhang, Y., Soroken, L., Laccetti, M., Castillero, E. R. d., Konadu, A.
Nursing stations often act as the primary workspaces for various members of a healthcare team while patients aren’t being directly worked with. Centralized nursing stations can lead to higher rates of telephone and computer use and administrative tasks while decreasing time spent caring for patients. Conversely, decentralized nursing stations have been found to create feelings of isolation and poor communication among staff. To emphasize the positive aspects of both formats, the authors propose a hybrid nursing station design that features decentralized stations connected to centralized meeting spaces.
Added October 2015
Part 1: Evidence-Based Facility Design Using Transforming Care at the Bedside Principles
2015
Journal of Nursing Administration
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 45
Pages 74-83
Author(s): Devine, D. A., Wenger, B., Krugman, M., Zwink, J. E., Shiskowsky, K., Hagman, J., Limon, S., Sanders, C., Reeves, C.
A western academic hospital reexamined its design strategy when after three years of building a new facility they had to plan for a new facility to meet their patient capacity. Using a combination of the principles of Transforming Care at the Bedside (TCAB) and Evidence-Based Design (EBD), an interdisciplinary team presented design recommendations.
Added April 2015
An exploration of the meanings of space and place in acute psychiatric care
2006
Issues in Mental Health Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 6
Volume 27
Pages 699-707
Author(s): Andes, M., Shattell, M. M.
The effectiveness of acute psychiatric care (or short-term psychiatric care) owes much to the design of the physical space inhabited by both patients and mental health professionals. The structure of psychiatric care centers and the barriers they either create or remove between patients and healthcare practitioners can potentially influence patient recovery and employee well-being. Some argue that private, physically exclusionary spaces designed specifically for nurses are necessary in order to protect sensitive information and provide psychological solace for the nurses themselves.
Added November 2014
Quality of life and building design in residential and nursing homes for older people
2004
Ageing and Society
Journal Article
Issue 6
Volume 24
Pages 941-962
Author(s): Parker, C., Barnes, S., McKee, K., Morgan, K., Torrington, J., Tregenza, P.
Older people living in residential and nursing care homes spend a large proportion of their time within the boundaries of the home, and may depend on the environment to compensate for their physical or cognitive frailties. Regulations and guidelines on the design of care buildings have accumulated over time with little knowledge of their impact on the quality of life of building users. The Design...
Added September 2014
Radical Redesign of Nursing Homes: Applying the Green House Concept in Tupelo, Mississippi
2006
The Gerontologist
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 46
Pages 533-539
Author(s): Rabig, J., Thomas, W., Kane, R. A., Cutler, L. J., McAlilly, S.
The Green House design should be considered as nursing home resident numbers are growing. Early experiences with the “pod-like” structure show positive effects on residents, families, and staff.
Added September 2014
Small-scale, homelike facilities in dementia care: A process evaluation into the experiences of family caregivers and nursing staff.
2012
International Journal of Nursing Studies
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 49
Pages 21-29
Author(s): Verbeek, H., Zwakhalen, S. M. G., van Rossum, E., Kempen, G. I. J. M., Hamers, J. P. H.
Current developments in institutional dementia care aim at the downsizing of facilities and increasing their homelike appearance. Small-scale living facilities are an example of this movement, in which a small group of residents (usually six to eight) live together in a homelike environment. Residents are encouraged to participate in normal daily activities and nursing staff is part of the household with integrated tasks. Despite the increase of these facilities, little is known about experiences of family caregivers of residents and nursing staff.
Added August 2014
Perceived hospital environment quality indicators: A study of orthopaedic units
2006
Journal of Environmental Psychology
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 26
Pages 321-334
Author(s): Fornara, F., Bonaiuto, M., Bonnes, M.
The field of healthcare design has increasingly recognized the need for building environments that are more ‘‘user-centered,’’ but spatial–physical features have not typically been included in assessment surveys on patient satisfaction.
Added July 2014
Quality Physical Environment in Paediatric Wards: Designer’s Creation Versus Users’ Satisfaction
2012
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences
Journal Article
Author(s): Ghazali, R., Abbas, M. Y.
Prior research has revealed that an optimal healing environment can enhance a child’s quality of life by supporting the healing process. However, little has been done to identify specific design features within an optimal healing environment that either impede or aid the healing process.
Added April 2014
Nurses’ Perception of Single-Occupancy Versus Multioccupancy Rooms in Acute Care Environments: An Exploratory Comparative Assessment
2006
Applied Nursing Research
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 19
Pages 118-125
Author(s): Chaudhury, H., Mahmood, A., Valente, M.
As people are living longer and the baby boomers age, the demand for hospital beds will increase. As new facilities are built to handle this influx of patients, the challenge for hospital designers and administrators is to design patient rooms that promote therapeutic goals, foster positive patient outcomes, and function as intensive care rooms. Recent research suggests that single-occupancy rooms are more suitable for infection control and patient care than multioccupancy rooms. However, no research has been done about nursing staff members’ perception of single-occupancy and multioccupancy patient rooms in acute care settings as it relates to patient care.
Added April 2014
Challenges in Design and Transition to a Private Room Model in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
2006
Advances in Neonatal Care
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 6
Pages 271-280
Author(s): Carlson, B., Walsh, S., Wergin, T., Schwarzkopf, K., Ecklund, S.
The need for neonatal intensive care units (NICU) is increasing at a time when research suggests their designs need to change to provide a developmentally appropriate healing environment. One approach is a private room NICU model versus a large multibed ward. However, such a radical design change could be challenging to implement.
Added April 2014
Enhancing a primary care environment: a case study of effects on patients and staff in a single general practice
2008
British Journal of General Practice
Journal Article
Issue 552
Volume 58
Pages 465-470
Author(s): Rice, G., Ingram, J., Mizan, J.
The stress and satisfaction of patients and staff are important healthcare outcomes. Patient satisfaction and stress strongly impacts patient health, the images of healthcare organizations, patient loyalty, patient retention and attraction, operating revenue, and profit margin. Staff stress and job satisfaction directly impacts the quality of patient care, work efficiency, and staff turnover intent.
Added November 2012
A comparison of patient and staff satisfaction with services after relocating to a new purpose-built mental health facility
2009
Australian Psychiatry
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 17
Pages 212-217
Author(s): Cleary, M., Hunt, G., Walter, G.
The physical environment of a hospital can support recovery from mental illness. Mental health patients are extremely vulnerable to changes in their environments. The paper reports on the impact on patients and staff of a relocation of Australia’s oldest and largest psychiatric hospitals, Sydney’s Rozelle Hospital. The new 174-bed purpose-built meant health facility provided patients with their own rooms within single story units. Further, patients were grouped in wards based on the phase of their illness and required treatment.
Added October 2012
