Sustainable healthcare facilities: Reconciling bed capacity and local needs
2017
International Journal of Sustainable Built Environment
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 6
Pages 54-68
Author(s): Pantzartzis, E., Edum-Fotwe, F. T., Price, A. D. F.
Route complexity and simulated physical ageing negatively influence wayfinding
2016
Applied Ergonomics
Journal Article
Author(s): Zijlstra, E., Hagedoorn, M., Krijnen, W. P., van der Schans, C. P., Mobach, M. P.
In this study, “wayfinding” is defined as determining and following a path or route between an origin and a destination. Wayfinding can be particularly difficult in complex and sometimes stressful environments like hospitals, and as hospitals continue to expand to meet increasing healthcare demands, their layouts face the possibility of becoming more difficult to navigate. Wayfinding is particularly difficult for the elderly, who may have memory issues and weakened physical abilities. Support from the environment is necessary to help elderly people function at their best, so it is important to understand what elements of the designed environment either benefit or confuse them.
"Let's Sit Forward": Investigating Interprofessional Communication, Collaboration, Professional Roles, and Physical Space at EmergiCare
2016
Health Communication
Journal Article
Issue 12
Volume 31
Pages 1506-1516
Author(s): Dean, M., Gill, R., Barbour, J. B.
Due to the fact that emergency department (ED) caregivers are constantly involved in interprofessional, knowledge-intensive conversations, effective modes of communication necessarily play a key role in promoting patient health and safety. Previous studies have explored how the physical environment directly affects modes of communication, and how these two dimensions of the healthcare environment constantly intersect with each other.
Separate Medication Preparation Rooms Reduce Interruptions and Medication Errors in the Hospital Setting: A Prospective Observational Study
2016
Journal of Patient Safety
Journal Article
Author(s): Huckels-Baumgart, S., Baumgart, A., Buschmann, U., Schüpfer, G., Manser, T.
Errors and interruptions are commonplace during medication preparation procedures in healthcare environments. One study found that one interruption occurred for every 3.2 drugs administered during nurses’ medication rounds.
Ready-JET-Go: Split Flow Accelerates ED Throughput
2015
Journal of Emergency Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 42
Pages 114-119
Author(s): Bish, P. A., McCormick, M. A., Otegbeye, M.
Emergency departments (ED) in America have seen large increases in demand for emergency services over the last decade. This increased demand for ED services has resulted in delayed treatment for patients, increased rates of patients leaving the ED without receiving treatment, and decreases in satisfactory ED visit experiences.
Impact of the Physical Environment of Residential Health, Care, and Support Facilities (RHCSF) on Staff and Residents A Systematic Review of the Literature
2015
Environment and Behavior
Journal Article
Issue 10
Volume 48
Pages 1203-1241
Author(s): Joseph, A., Choi, Y.-S., Quan, X.
Strategies related to the design of the built environment should be considered within the context of the culture of the organization and the resident population. This study of the physical environment of residential health, care, and support facilities addresses the range of settings and population, where other studies have been lacking. The literature review strongly suggests that the built environment is an important component of care provided in residential care settings.
Innovative designs for the smart ICU: Part 2: The ICU
2014
Chest
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 145
Pages 646-658
Author(s): Halpern, N. A.
Taking ergonomics to the bedside – A multi-disciplinary approach to designing safer healthcare
2014
Applied Ergonomics
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 45
Pages 629-638
Author(s): Norris, B., West, J., Anderson, O., Davey, G., Brodie, A.
Intensive care unit design and mortality in trauma patients
2014
Journal of Surgical Research
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 190
Pages 640-646
Author(s): Pettit, N. R., Wood, T., Lieber, M., O'Mara, M. S.
A primary concern for many patient care units is the question of where to place more seriously ill patients within the space that is available. Questions regarding the impact of architectural features, such as the availability of natural lighting, or adjacency to nurse stations on patient health outcomes should be further explored so that increasingly effective healthcare environments can be established. Currently, no data exist demonstrating whether trauma patients receiving treatment in intensive care unit (ICU) beds with poor visibility from a central nursing station experience health outcomes different from those in rooms that may be more visible from the nursing station.
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.
