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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 64

Exploring the relationship between perceived visual access to nature and nurse burnout

Author(s): Mihandoust, S., Pati, D., Lee, J., Roney, J.
An abundance of research has been conducted on factors leading to burnout, the healing power of nature, and how stress affects and/or is affected by burnout in patients and families. However, little research has been done on the physical and visual connection to nature and nursing burnout.
Key Point Summary
Added March 2021

Accessing green spaces within a healthcare setting: A mixed studies review of barriers and facilitators

Author(s): Weerasuriya, R., Henderson-Wilson, C., Townsend, M.
Many previous studies have described the benefits of natural environments (or “green spaces”) on overall human well-being. Healthcare providers have increasingly drawn attention to how green spaces within healthcare environments may positively affect both patients and staff.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2018

Post-Occupancy Evaluation of a Crisis Shelter Garden and Application of Findings Through the Use of a Participatory Design Process

Author(s): Lygum, V. L., Poulsen, D. V., Djernis, D., Djernis, H. G., Sidenius, U., Stigsdotter, U. K.
As an increasing number of designers and healthcare practitioners utilize nature-based therapy tools, there is a growing need to understand how certain elements within these natural spaces might contribute to heightened therapeutic effects for patients with specific conditions. Crisis shelters that provide healthcare resources to women and children exposed to domestic abuse could benefit from nature-based therapy tools, but a deeper understanding of how these environments should be built is needed.
Key Point Summary
Added November 2018

Guidelines for the design of a healing garden for the rehabilitation of psychiatric patients

Author(s): Erbino, C., Toccolini, A., Vagge, I., Ferrario, P. S.
Healing gardens can be defined as plant-populated areas designed to support and improve patient health and well-being. Previous studies have indicated that healing gardens are effective tools for improving physical and mental health in patients, families, and staff, ultimately leading to reduced care costs and general quality of life.
Key Point Summary
Added March 2018

Evaluation of hospital outdoor spaces through users’ participation analysis

Author(s): Djukanovic, Z., Maric, J., Giofrè, F.
Hospital outdoor spaces (HOS) have an important role in healthcare facilities that specifically impacts the healing process. Literature reviewed by the authors refers to HOS as left-over spaces for supporting other medical activities.
Key Point Summary
Added August 2017

Healing gardens in children’s hospitals: Reflections on benefits, preferences and design from visitors’ books

Author(s): Reeve, A., Nieberler-Walker, K., Desha, C.
Numerous previous studies have shown that gardens can provide healing and therapeutic benefits to patients. But lack of funding and space often impede the development of gardens in healthcare environments, as well as a lack of studies that focus on patient well-being after discharge.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2017

Healing gardens for the elderly: A review of design guidelines and the comparisons with the existing Senior Outdoor Survey (SOS) tool

Author(s): Chong, Y. E., Shukor, A., Faris, S.
As the demand increases for senior living facilities, it will be important for designers and healthcare providers to remember that incorporating access to specially designed outdoor spaces can have a positive influence on the psychosocial and physical health of patients.
Key Point Summary
Added February 2017

Airflow patterns through single hinged and sliding doors in hospital isolation rooms – Effect of ventilation, flow differential and passage

Author(s): Kalliomäki, p., Saarinen, P., Tang, J. W., Koskela, h.
Patients with highly contagious diseases are often housed in negative pressure isolation rooms. These rooms attempt to reduce cross-infections within the hospital. However, airflows produced by healthcare worker movements and door opening motions pose the risk of spreading pathogen-laden air from negative pressure isolation rooms into other spaces. A significant number of previous studies have examined the impact of single-hinged door-generated airflows, but few have compared hinged doors with sliding doors.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2016

Eight Years of Data on Residents in Small Dementia-Care Settings Suggest Functional Performance Is Maintained

Author(s): Milke, D. L., Leask, J., George, C., Ziolkowski, S.
The authors of this study note the impact of a home-like environment on the cognitive decline of dementia patients.
Key Point Summary
Added November 2016

An Assessment of Levels of Safety in Psychiatric Units

Author(s): Bayramzadeh, S.
As mental treatment facilities see increases in the number of patients seeking care, facilities face mounting pressure in their attempts to promote patient well-being and safety. The author suggests that there is a lack of systematic empirical studies that examine how the design of mental healthcare facilities contributes to patient care and safety.
Key Point Summary
Added September 2016

Security Implications of Physical Design Attributes in the Emergency Department

Author(s): Pati, D., Pati, S., Harvey, T. E.
In this paper, the authors consider “security” a subset of “safety,” and note that security is imperative for providing efficient patient care, especially in emergency departments (EDs). Security is defined as the protection of people and property, while safety is defined as the broader concept of delivering patient care.
Key Point Summary
Added September 2016

From the nurses' station to the health team hub: How can design promote interprofessional collaboration?

Author(s): Gum, Lyn Frances, Prideaux, David, Sweet, Linda, Greenhill, Jennene
The nurses’ station serves a diverse array of purposes, one being that it acts as a space for communication and interprofessional collaboration. Previous studies have shown that the design of the nurses’ station alone can impact aspects of patient and staff privacy, walking distance, and access to resources. But no known studies prior to this paper have examined specifically the influence of nurse station design on the frequency and quality of interprofessional practice.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2016

Lost in space: The place of the architectural milieu in the aetiology and treatment of schizophrenia

Author(s): Golembiewski, J.
This article is a theoretical discussion concerning how designed and constructed environments can be significant factors in the psychogenesis of mental illnesses, particularly with non-affective psychoses. The authors believe that the current body of literature is lacking in resources that could help direct design decision-making to positively influence the well-being of mentally ill individuals. Discussing this matter may help identify specific qualities of the built environment that appear to be aetiologically related to psychosis.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2016

Effects of an Assisted Living Facility Specifically Designed for Individuals with Memory Disorders: A Pilot Study

Author(s): Springate, B. A., Talwar, A. K., Tremont, G.
A 2007 study estimated that 14% of individuals over the age of 71 have dementia, and many of those individuals require some level of support with daily life. Furthermore, many of these individuals eventually move to assisted living (AL) facilities or nursing homes as they begin to require more assistance. Many people choose AL facilities due to pricing or the desire to be assisted rather than nursed. Previous studies have indicated that the physical environment of nursing homes can influence the overall well-being of residents with dementia. However, relatively few studies have assessed the effects of AL facility environments on the well-being of dementia patients.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2016

A Recovery-Oriented Care Approach: Weighing the Pros and Cons of a Newly Built Mental Health Facility

Author(s): Ahern, C. C., Bieling, P., McKinnon, M. C., McNeely, H. E., Langstaff, K.
An inpatient mental health hospital was renovated with a newly built environment that incorporated patient-centered, clinically informed designs in an attempt to improve overall safety and quality of care. The new designs were considerably expensive and had extensive design implications for other parts of the hospital outside of the mental health facility.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2016

Design in mind: eliciting service user and frontline staff perspectives on psychiatric ward design through participatory methods

Author(s): Csipke, E., Papoulias, C., Vitoratou, S., Williams, P., Rose, D., Wykes, T.
Previous studies have shown repeatedly that the physical design of psychiatric wards has a significant impact on patient recovery and well-being. It has also been found that staff and patients often express conflicting expectations regarding the design of psychiatric wards. Therefore, it is important to better understand different stakeholder perceptions of the same environment so that the most effective design decisions can be made. One possible way of doing this would be using the “SURE model,” which is a participatory method involving collaborations with service users during all stages of the study.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2016

Ebola Holding Units at government hospitals in Sierra Leone: evidence for a flexible and effective model for safe isolation, early treatment initiation, hospital safety and health system functioning

Author(s): Johnson, O., Youkee, D., Brown, C. S., Lado, M., Wurie, A., Bash-Taqi, D., Hall, A., Hanciles, E., Kamara, I., Kamara, C., Kamboz, A., Seedat, A., Thomas, S., Kamara, T. B., Leather, A. J. M., Kargbo, B.
The outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in West Africa during 2014-2015 was an unprecedented modern crisis that required novel approaches to outbreak containment and management. In response, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS) and the King’s Sierra Leone Partnership (KSLP) in Freetown, Sierra Leone, worked to develop and implement five new Ebola Holding Units (EHUs) in government hospitals, which successfully isolated 37% of the 3,097 confirmed EVD cases within the country’s Western Urban and Rural district.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2016

Are Split Flow and Provider in Triage Models in the Emergency Department Effective in Reducing Discharge Length of Stay?

Author(s): Pierce, B. A., Gormley, D.
This paper presents a quality improvement (QI) project by comparing the performance of two different emergency departments (EDs). The idea behind the split flow model is to allow for a second flow stream of patients through the ED, parallel to the regular acute/critical care flow stream, that is ultimately intended for patients with problems that are not considered complex. The role of the provider in the triage (PIT) model is to enhance patient triage assessment by providing patients with an upfront evaluation upon entering the ED.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2016

Performance Evaluation of 32 LEED Hospitals on Operation Costs

Author(s): Sadatsafavi, H., Shepley, M. M.
As healthcare needs increase, providers strive to reduce operational costs while simultaneously increasing healthcare facility construction and renovation efforts. At the same time, certification programs such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) are examples of the emerging concerns regarding the environmental impact of healthcare facilities. The authors note that the number of studies documenting the benefits of more “green” facilities is limited; however, they hypothesize that upon comparing LEED-certified hospitals with uncertified ones, the LEED facilities will prove to have lower-than-average maintenance costs.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2016

Analysis of Credits Earned by LEED Healthcare Certified Facilities

Author(s): Golbazi, M., Aktas, C. B.
Green buildings have garnered widespread public support due to the positive impacts they are perceived to have on the environment, the economy, and society as a whole. The concept of green building design appeals to institutions because of its potential benefit for the indoor and outdoor environment as well as its potential for improving public image. As a result, there may be hospitals that become certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system but aren’t actually providing a green healthcare environment that positively influences patients and their periods of recovery. This is an important distinction since the core purpose of healthcare facilities is to improve the conditions of the sick and vulnerable, as well as society overall.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2016