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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 21 - 40 of 69

Optimal design of modular cogeneration plants for hospital facilities and robustness evaluation of the results

Author(s): Gimelli, A., Muccillo, M., Sannino, R.
Hospitals consume electricity and use other energy sources for heating. Instead of being heavy users of natural resources these facilities could produce more energy than they use. They could even return some of the unused power back to the main electrical grid.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2017

Wayfinding for health seeking: Exploring how hospital wayfinding can employ communication design to improve the outpatient experience

Author(s): Short, Eden Jayne, Reay, S., Gilderdale, P.
Hospital spaces have the ability to provide physical and emotional well-being. However, the journey through health systems is becoming stressful.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2017

A Comparison of Sound Levels in Open Plan Versus Pods in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Author(s): Ramm, K., Mannix, T., Parry, Y., Gaffney, M. P.
Noise in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) can be a primary factor for stress for preterm infants, their family, and staff. High sound levels can potentially harm sensorineural systems of the infants. Literature shows that low background sounds are crucial to neurological development of preterm infants.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2017

Structuring the Environmental Experience Design Research Framework through Selected Aged Care Facility Data Analyses in Victoria

Author(s): Ma, N., Chau, H.-W., Zhou, J., Noguchi, M.
There is a strong relationship between the behavior of building occupants and the spaces they use. The design of such spaces affects their psychological well-being in ways that are not fully understood.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2017

Systematic Layout Planning of a Radiology Reporting Area to Optimize Radiologists’ Performance

Author(s): Benitez, G. B., Fogliatto, F. S., Cardoso, R. B., Torres, F. S., Faccin, C. S., Dora, J. M.
Literature indicates that the steady increase in the demand for radiological services in the past several years has not been matched by a proportionate increase in the number of radiologists. The authors cite literature stating that patients wait long periods for outpatient radiological services. Healthcare system managers believe that optimizing productivity of radiologists could help address...
Key Point Summary
Added December 2017

Patients’ Perspectives on the Design of Hospital Outpatient Areas

Author(s): Zhao, Y., Mourshed, M.
More and more designers and other stakeholders are emphasizing that the design of healthcare facilities need to be informed by patient perspectives. Authors indicate that even though the intent in the architecture and construction industry is to incorporate patient-centered design, there is little research reflecting the perspectives on the design factors in healthcare facilities.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2017

Lighting assessment of ergonomic workstation for radio diagnostic reporting

Author(s): Leccese, F., Salvadori, G., Montagnani, C., Ciconi, A., Rocca, M.
Diagnostic imaging involves traditional radiology, computerized tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Each of these procedures involves assessment, planning, execution, reporting, and verifying results. Present-day technology involves the processing of images by computer software. Reporting involves viewing these images on diagnostic monitors. While the authors contend that there...
Key Point Summary
Added December 2017

A Novel ICU Hand-Over Tool: The Glass Door of the Patient Room

Author(s): Wessman, B. T., Sona, C., Schallom, M.
The Institute of Medicine has identified poor communication among the patient care team as one of the most common causes of serious errors in patient care. There was a desire in this organization to create a culture of team-oriented continuity of care by changing the mindset of handoff reporting to handover reporting communication among multidisciplinary care team members on key aspects of the patient’s daily plan of care. They developed a communication tool that included key areas of care (tests, care goals and progress toward those goals, treatments, and consultation recommendations) and printed the topic areas on the glass door of the patient room. The information was updated regularly throughout the day/night so that the most current information on patient status was available any time for rounding by various care providers, specialists, and consultants. The information was also available for viewing by the patient’s family.
Key Point Summary
Added November 2017

Bright Light Delights: Effects of Daily Light Exposure on Emotions, Restactivity Cycles, Sleep and Melatonin Secretion in Severely Demented Patients

Author(s): Münch, M., Schmieder, M., Bieler, K., Goldbach, R., Fuhrmann, T., Zumstein, N., Vonmoos, P., Scartezzini, J.-L., Wirz-Justice, A., Cajochen, C.
Exposure to sufficient light on a daily basis is important for individuals to maintain their health. Studies have shown that light has an effect on heart rate, body temperature, human behavior, mood, body hormones, genes, and cognitive ability.
Key Point Summary
Added November 2017

The Influence of the Physical Environment on Residents With Dementia in Long-Term Care Settings: A Review of the Empirical Literature

Author(s): Chaudhury, H., Cooke, H. A., Cowie, H., Razaghi, L.
Several studies have shown that properly designed interior spaces have a positive effect on residents with dementia in long-term care facilities. Wayfinding and orientation can be enhanced through good planning of the facility as well as activities of daily living and autonomy.
Key Point Summary
Added November 2017

Blue-Enriched Lighting for Older People Living in Care Homes: Effect on Activity, Actigraphic Sleep, Mood and Alertness

Author(s): Hopkins, S., Morgan, P. L., Schlangen, L. J. M., Williams, P., Skene, D. J., Middleton, B.
Residents of long-term care homes suffer from natural light deprivation and other age-related physical conditions. This includes changes in sleep patterns and a decrease in sleep efficiency. Lack of light exposure negatively affects circadian systems and consequently affects sleep.
Key Point Summary
Added November 2017

Night-time activity forecast by season and weather in a longitudinal design - natural light effects on three years' rest-activity cycles in nursing home residents with dementia

Author(s): Wahnschaffe, A., Nowozin, C., Rath, A., Floessner, T., Appelhoff, S., Münch, M., Kunz, D.
Elderly nursing home residents with dementia suffer from night-time agitation due to the lack of adequate exposure to natural light. Short winter days and overcast skies have a strong effect on circadian rhythm and motor activities.
Key Point Summary
Added November 2017

Implementation of Dynamic Lighting in a Nursing Home: Impact on Agitation but not on Rest-Activity Patterns

Author(s): Wahnschaffe, A., Nowozin, C., Haedel, S., Rath, A., Appelhof, S., Münch, M., Kunz, D.
A common issue within different subtypes of dementia is nighttime agitation, which often manifests as confusion, aggressive behavior, aimless movement, and general disruption of sleep cycles. Nighttime agitation is the most common cause for nursing home admission, and many medical treatments for the condition only target specific symptoms, sometimes resulting in unwanted side effects for patients.
Key Point Summary
Added November 2017

Impact of single room design on the spread of multi-drug resistant bacteria in an intensive care unit

Author(s): Halaby, T., al Naiemi, N., Beishuizen, B., Verkooijen, R., Ferreira, J. A., Klont, R., vandenbroucke-Grauls, C.
Previous studies have explored how intensive care units (ICUs) can foster cross-contamination of hospital-borne pathogens, and how isolating contaminated patients, coupled with the promotion of hand hygiene procedures, can mitigate the frequency of these contaminations. Various environmental factors, frequent invasive procedures, and instances of under-staffing have been identified as causes for higher levels of cross-contamination in ICUs. Further research is needed to explore whether or not the use of single-patient rooms themselves can help mitigate cross-contamination in an ICU. Through a retrospective study, the authors of this paper explore the long-term persistence of multi-drug-resistant gram-negative (MDR-GN) organisms within an ICU, even while extensive infection control precautions were place.
Key Point Summary
Added November 2017

Emergency Nurses’ Perceptions of Efficiency and Design: Examining ED Structure, Process, and Outcomes

Author(s): Fay, L., Carll-White, A., Real, K.
Emergency departments (EDs) must work to improve efficiency in order to maintain standards of safe and effective care. Physical structures can significantly impact efficiency, and processes defined as the activities of emergency care can also play a role in efficiency. Outcomes are the perceptions of efficiency along with satisfaction to work or be treated in the designed environment. Rarely has the physical environment been studied in an emergency department especially when examining the relationships of structure, process, and outcome. Using a hierarchical linear regression the authors determined that all structures and processes examined were associated with efficiency and design.
Key Point Summary
Added November 2017

The Role of the Built Environment: How Decentralized Nurse Stations Shape Communication, Patient Care Processes, and Patient Outcomes

Author(s): Real, K., Bardach, S. H., Bardach, D. R.
This study compared nurse communication using a new decentralized nurse station model in a newly built urban, trauma-1 level hospital with the experiences at the “old” hospital where there was a centralized work space where nurses could easily hear one another and worked in close proximity to each other.
Key Point Summary
Added November 2017

Room for improvement: A randomised controlled trial with nested qualitative interviews on space, place and treatment delivery

Author(s): Sandal, L. F., Thorlund, J. B., Moore, A. J., Ulrich, R. S., Dieppe, P. A., Roos, E. M.
The physical environment of a hospital can impact its clinical outcomes and is connected to a patient’s sense of well-being. Literature also indicates that construction and renovation of healthcare facilities in the US are relying increasingly on evidence-based design to achieve better clinical outcomes and reduce costs.
Key Point Summary
Added September 2017

A comparative study of patients’ activities and interactions in a stroke unit before and after reconstruction—The significance of the built environment

Author(s): Anåker, A., von Koch, L., Sjöstrand, C., Bernhardt, J., Elf, M.
Several previous studies have shown that effective care in a stroke unit requires early rehabilitation and mobilization among patients, as well as the presence of multidisciplinary stroke experts and comprehensive therapies. Though the concept of evidence-based design have been applied to a wide variety of specific medical environments and situations, its application to the physical environment surrounding patients who are recovering from strokes requires further investigation.
Key Point Summary
Added September 2017

Sound as a supportive design intervention for improving health care experience in the clinical ecosystem: A qualitative study

Author(s): Iyendo, T. O.
As professionals work to make healthcare environments increasingly conducive to the physical and psychological well-being of patients and staff, one variable that garners significant attention by researchers and designers is the overall sound of a given space.
Key Point Summary
Added September 2017

Adaptive reuse in the healthcare industry: repurposing abandoned buildings to serve medical missions

Author(s): Elrod, J. K., Fortenberry, J. L.
Healthcare services are mainly delivered on site, necessitating an adequate space for practitioners. The initial cost of a new hospital is quite significant and could be reduced by reusing existing buildings (e.g., office buildings, warehouses, and multi-family residential).
Key Point Summary
Added August 2017