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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 56

The Usefulness of Bright Light Therapy for Patients after Oesophagectomy

Author(s): Ono, H., Taguchi, T., Kido, Y., Fujino, Y., Doki, Y.
While the use of light therapy in healthcare settings has been shown to be effective for the adjustment of the sleep-awake rhythm, it has not been applied to postoperative patients.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2019

Hospitalization-associated disability: “She was probably able to ambulate, but I’m not sure”

Author(s): Covinsky, K. E., Pierluissi, Edgar, Johnston, C. B.
It is not uncommon for older patients who are hospitalized to acquire hospital-associated disabilities (HAD). An HAD is defined as losing the ability to complete one of the basic activities of daily living (ADL) needed to live independently without assistance: bathing, dressing, rising from bed or a chair, using the toilet, eating, or walking across a room.
Key Point Summary
Added April 2019

Door locking and exit security measures on acute psychiatric admission wards: Door locking on admission wards

Author(s): Nijman, H., Bowers, L., Haglund, K., Muir-Cochrane, E., Simpson, A., Van Der Merwe, M.
Locked exit doors exist in psychiatric wards for various reasons. Sometimes regional legislation requires locked exits in these wards. At other times, these security measures are put in place in order to prevent patients from escaping a facility, to prevent unwelcome visits, to enhance the staff’s sense of control, or to improve overall patient and staff safety.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2017

Examination of wireless technology to improve nurse communication, response time to bed alarms, and patient safety

Author(s): Guarascio-Howard, Linda
Patient safety programs, such as fall-prevention programs, are greatly impacted by communication within the care team. The ability to communicate effectively with other care team members is essential for achieving quick caregiver responses to changing patient conditions. While the majority of research has focused on the implementation of fall-prevention programs as a primary method for reducing patient falls within healthcare environments, this research looks to assess the interconnection between wireless technology, bed alarms, caregiver response, communication, and collaboration on fall-prevention.
Key Point Summary
Added April 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 and Environment in Midwife-led and Obstetric-led Units: A Comparison of Mothers’ and Birth Partners’ Perceptions

Author(s): Symon, A. G., Dugard, P., Burchart, M., Carr, V., & Paul, J.
The mother’s partner has an important role to play during the birth of their baby. The authors set out to gain understanding of both mother and birth partner as they went through the birthing experience.
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

Environmental Congruence and Work-Related Stress in Acute Care Hospital Medical-Surgical Units: A Descriptive, Correlational Study

Author(s): Dendaas, N.
Nursing is known to be a particularly stressful job, and this often has direct ties to nursing shortages in the United States. Research attempting to better understand hospital nursing work environments has typically focused on social and organizational aspects of the work experience. Yet, the physical environment, which is known to impact work and organizational outcomes, has been studied to a much lesser extent.
Key Point Summary
Added January 2016

The effect of changes in servicescape and service quality perceptions in a maternity unit

Author(s): Holder, M., Berndt, A.
Quality of service in healthcare is pertinent to patient experience and satisfaction, and can impact customer (patient) loyalty, cost savings, profits and market share of the healthcare facility. The authors indicate that the servicescape, or the physical environment of a facility, has an impact on a patient’s perception of the quality of service.
Key Point Summary
Added May 2015

Finishes and Furnishings: Considerations for Critical Care Environments

Author(s): Chambers, M., Bowman, K. L.
Finishes and furnishings play an important role in the healing environment and do affect patient health outcomes, staff satisfaction, operational efficiency, and costs. It is important to create properly designed critical care units. Involving healthcare providers in the design process is necessary to highlight the user’s perspective, preferences, choices, and comfort versus safety.
Key Point Summary
Added May 2015

Fable Hospital 2.0: The Business Case for Building Better Health Care Facilities

Author(s): Sadler, B. L., Berry, L., Guenther, R., Hamilton, D. K., Hessler, F., Merritt, C., Parker, D.
The Fable Hospital, an imaginary facility with the best design innovations, was proposed in 2004, and the authors indicate that many healthcare systems have consequently adapted the principles in the building of their hospitals.
Key Point Summary
Added April 2015

Emergency department observation units: A clinical and financial benefit for hospitals

Author(s): Baugh, C.W., Venkatesh, A. K., Bohan, J. S.
This article presents a review of literature to make a clinical and business case for establishing EDOUs. The literature was found to indicate that EDOU care contributes to more effective clinical decision-making and the generation of higher revenue than the same patients would if admitted and then discharged.
Key Point Summary
Added March 2015

Infection acquisition following intensive care unit room privatization

Author(s): Teltsch, D. Y., Hanley, J., Loo, V., Goldberg, P., Gursahaney, A., Buckeridge, D. L.
The authors state that healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) affect about 30% of patients in intensive care units (ICUs), subsequently affecting patient outcomes. Although single-patient rooms are recommended by the Facilities Guidelines Institute, the American Institute of Architects Academy of Architecture for Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the authors indicate that studies on the effect of the single-bed room on rates of infection have been inconclusive.
Key Point Summary
Added February 2015

Developing a multi-systemic fall prevention model, incorporating the physical environment, the care process and technology: A systematic review

Author(s): Choi, Y.-S., Lawler, E., Boenecke, C. A., Ponatoski, E. R., Zimring, C. M.
Falls are the most frequently reported negative events in hospitals in the United States and other countries, and about one-third of them result in injury of some type. Injury from falls can result in increased hospital stays, increased costs and litigation, among other problems. The authors reviewed the literature on falls, fall injuries, fall risk factors, and interventions to better understand the effectiveness of different methods for fall prevention in hospital settings.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2014

Quality improvement project eliminates falls in recovery area of high-volume endoscopy unit.

Author(s): Francis, D. L., Prabhakar, S., Bryant-Sendek, D. M., Larson, M. V.
Patient falls associated with healthcare delivery are frequent, undesirable, and largely preventable events. Patients who receive conscious sedation for endoscopic procedures are especially vulnerable to falls because of the cognitive effects of the sedation, relative hypotension that may be induced by the most common sedatives used (fentanyl and midazolam), the prolonged fasting state, and the frequent practice of withholding regular daily medications prior to procedures. There is a need to evaluate patient falls after sedated endoscopic procedures.
Key Point Summary
Added November 2014

Decline in incidence of Clostridium difficile infection after relocation to a new hospital building with single rooms

Author(s): Heddema, E. R., van Benthem, B. H. B.
The authors report that the most common risk factors for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) are age (≥65 years), comorbidities, and the use of antibiotics. They point out that it is a challenge to control the risk factors and that preventive measures have not been particularly helpful.
Key Point Summary
Added November 2014

It’s the Writing on the Wall: Whiteboards Improve Inpatient Satisfaction With Provider Communication

Author(s): Singh, S., Fletcher, K. E., Pandl, G. J., Schapira, M. M., Nattinger, A. B., Biblo, L. A., Whittle, J.
Communication in hospitals between caregivers and patients is important for patient satisfaction. Inpatients frequently say they are not well informed and report their dissatisfaction.
Key Point Summary
Added November 2014

Does proper design of an intensive care unit affect compliance with isolation practices?

Author(s): Rodriguez, M., Ford, D., Adams, S.
This article tackles these questions, as well as looks at the importance of end-user input to renovation and construction healthcare projects.
Key Point Summary
Added November 2014

Original sound compositions reduce anxiety in emergency department patients: a randomised controlled trial

Author(s): Weiland, T. J., Jelinek, G. A., Macarow, K. E., Samartzis, P., Brown, D. M., Grierson, E. M., Winter, C.
Patients being treated in emergency departments (EDs) might experience anxiety during their stay. The beneficial effect of music on anxiety has been well demonstrated in previous studies, but no previous study has investigated the potential anxiety-reducing effects of sound interventions or the use of binaural beats among adult ED patients.
Key Point Summary
Added September 2014

The effect of music therapy on physiological signs of anxiety in patients receiving mechanical ventilatory support

Author(s): Korhan, E. A., Khorshid, L., Uyar, M.
Mechanical ventilatory support is commonly used in critical care units for treating patients with breathing difficulties. Although mechanical ventilation is a life-saving treatment, an estimated 70-80% of patients depending on the mechanical system for respiratory function can experience significant levels of anxiety during the treatment process.
Key Point Summary
Added September 2014