Falls Aren't Us: State of the Science
2009
Critical Care Nursing Quarterly
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 32
Pages 116-127
Author(s): Cozart, H. T., Cesario, S. K.
Falls among the elderly can cause serious injury and sometimes even be fatal. However, in healthcare settings, many of these accidents can be avoided with fall-prevention interventions. The ninth goal of The Joint Commission is environmental intervention and addresses safety features such as patients’ introduction to hospital surroundings, appropriate lighting and noise reduction, call alarms, as well as reachable and available grab rails.
Added January 2014
Effects of low humidity and high air velocity in a heated room on physiological responses and thermal comfort after bathing: An experimental study
2009
International Journal of Nursing Studies
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 46
Pages 172-180
Author(s): Hashiguchi, N., Tochihara, T.
Winter often brings low humidity and high air flow from HVAC systems that may cause health-related issues for patients and can impact how comfortable they are before and after a bath.
Added January 2014
Interruptions and Geographic Challenges to Nurses' Cognitive Workload
2009
Journal of Nursing Care Quality
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 24
Pages 194–200
Author(s): Redding, D., Robinson, S.
Inpatient care is fast-paced and requires nurses to constantly shift their attention to make clinical decisions and care for patients in a constantly environment. Nurses integrate complex thinking with psychomotor and affective skills to deliver interventions. This thinking is continually disrupted by interruptions and distractions, which compete for their attention and can lead to errors or omissions and potentially pose a risk to patient safety.
Added January 2014
Using Rapid Assessment to Evaluate Noise on an In-Patient Unit
2009
Journal of Nursing Care Quality
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 24
Pages 27-32
Author(s): Deitrick, L.M., Kennedy, P., Cyriax, C., Davies-Hathen, N.
Research shows that many hospitals are noisy from a variety of sources: people, environment, and machines. Further, this excessive noise can have negative effects on patients and staff including lost sleep, higher blood pressure, lower overall patient satisfaction, increased readmission rates, and increased employee stress levels.
Added January 2014
Person-Environment Interactions Contributing to Nursing Home Resident Falls
2009
Research in Gerontological Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 2
Pages 287-294
Author(s): Hill, E. E., Nguyen, T. H., Shaha, M., Wenzel, J. A., DeForge, B. R., Spellbring, A. M.
Falls are common for older adults, with significant consequences, including injuries and even death as well as healthcare costs. However, few studies have looked at environmental factors, such as lighting, equipment, and slippery floor surfaces, as potential risk factors for falls by nursing home residents. This study explores the risk factors associated with resident falls in a nursing home using a focus group.
Added January 2014
Canadian hospital raises the bar on acute care inpatient design
2009
Healthcare Design Magazine
Magazine Article
Issue 10
Volume 9
Pages 10–15
Author(s): Cochrane, P., Nishimura, J., Woods, L.
Added April 2013
Ambient Experience: Transforming the healthcare environment
2009
Healthcare Design Magazine
Magazine Article
Issue 5
Volume 9
Pages 20–20,22
Author(s): Ensign, J.C.
Added April 2013
Diary of an opening
2009
Healthcare Design Magazine
Magazine Article
Issue 12
Volume 9
Pages 16–22,24,26
Author(s): Nash, J., Kofalt, K., Buccacio, G., Kazanjian, L., & Doyle, J.
Added April 2013
Falls in healthcare settings
2009
Healthcare Design Magazine
Magazine Article
Issue 7
Volume 9
Pages 28–28,30,32,34
Author(s): Gulwadi, G.B., Keller, A.B.
Added April 2013
Palomar Pomerado Health uses Second Life to explore the hospital of the future
2009
Healthcare Design Magazine
Magazine Article
Issue 2
Volume 9
Pages 20–20,22,24
Author(s): Zensius, N.
Added April 2013
Pebbles Aim For Hospitals That Are Cleaner, Greener, And Safer
2009
Healthcare Design Magazine
Magazine Article
Issue 4
Volume 9
Pages 16-20
Author(s): Keller, A., Zensius, N.
Added March 2013
Direct cellular vs. indirect pager communication during orthopaedic surgical procedures: A prospective study
2009
Technology and Health Care
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 17
Pages 149-157
Author(s): Ortega, G. R., Taksali, S., Smart, R., Baumgaertner, M. R.
Staff-to-staff communication is critical to quality and efficient healthcare. Physicians, nurses, and other healthcare workers all use various methods of communication in their daily work. Difficulties in staff communication often lead to interruptions and delays in patient care, variation in response time, medical errors, violation of privacy, and dissatisfaction in patient and staff.
Added October 2012
Lumbar spine forces during manoeuvring of ceiling-based and floor-based patient transfer devices
2009
Ergonomics
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 52
Pages 384-397
Author(s): Marras, W.S., Knapik, G.G., Ferguson, S.
Patient handling is an important concern in healthcare facilities linked to patient falls, as well as staff injury. It continues to represent a high risk for low back pain among caregivers. Research shows that manual transfer of patients can impose unacceptable loads on the spine (even when the task is shared by two caregivers). Due to this, patient lift devices have gained popularity and are frequently used. However the merits and demerits between the different systems continues to be explored.
Added October 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
A Pod Design for Nursing Assignments
2009
The American Journal of Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 11
Volume 109
Pages 38-40
Author(s): Donahue, L.
The Transforming Care at the Bedside (TCAB) Initiative affects four focus areas: patient-centered care, teamwork and vitality, value-added processes, and safe and reliable care. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Shadyside began participating in TCAB 2003.
Added October 2012
Effect of Sacred Space Environment on Surgical Patient Outcomes: A Pilot Study
2009
International Journal for Human Caring
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 13
Pages 49-59
Author(s): Schmock, B. N., Breckenridge, D. M., Benedict, K.
With the growing trend to patient-centered care, nurses are often tasked to evaluate how care is delivered. The perioperative environment is highly technical in nature and is often perceived as cold, while creating a sense of fear in patients. This study's purpose was to create an alternative healing environment (termed a sacred space and comprised of both environmental and nurse behavioral factors) compared to the traditional environment for surgical patients in the operating room (OR).
Added October 2012
Factors influencing patient satisfaction when undergoing endoscopic procedures
2009
Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 69
Pages 883-891
Author(s): Ko, H. H., Zhang, H., Telford, J. J., Enns, R.
Patient satisfaction with endoscopic procedures helps establish performance standards, increases the accountability of physicians and staff, may facilitate patient compliance, and can lead to improvements in the quality of care. Limited data are available regarding the best mechanism and timing for assessing patient satisfaction with endoscopy.
Added October 2012
The Pebble Project
Author(s): The Center for Health Design
Added October 2012
Framework for conducting a root cause analysis and action plan
2009
Topic Details | Joint Commission
Web Page
Issue August 29, 2011
Volume 2011
Author(s): The Joint Commission
Added October 2012
U.S. Public Health Service Syphilis Study at Tuskegee
Issue 9/15/10
Volume 2010
Author(s): CDC
Added October 2012
