Finishes and Furnishings: Considerations for Critical Care Environments
2011
Critical Care Nursing Quarterly
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 34
Pages 317-331
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.
Added May 2015
Developing a multi-systemic fall prevention model, incorporating the physical environment, the care process and technology: A systematic review
2011
Journal of Advanced Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 12
Volume 67
Pages 2501-24
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.
Added December 2014
Physical Environment: The Major Determinant Towards the Creation of a Healing Environment?
2011
Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences
Journal Article
Volume 30
Pages 1951-1958
Author(s): Abbas, M. Y., Ghazali, R.,
Prior research suggests that the pediatric population’s heightened perception of the quality of the physical environment can have an impact on the creation of a healing environment.
Added April 2014
Converting Medical/Surgical Units for Safe Use by Psychiatric Patients: The Physical and Fiscal Risks
2011
American Society for Healthcare Engineering
Monograph
Author(s): Hunt, J. M., Sine, D. M.
When repurposing medical/surgical units as behavioral health units, there are a significant number of elements within the physical environment that must be modified to support the specialized needs of the patients and reduce the risk of self-harm and harm to others. While intention for self-harm cannot be reliably assessed, suicide is a major concern on psychiatric units, and therefore there is a need to design the unit as if all patients may be at risk for self-harm.
Added March 2014
Nurses’ Perceptions of How physical Environment Affects Medication Errors in Acute Care Settings
2011
Applied Nursing Research
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 24
Pages 229–237
Author(s): Mahmood, A., Chaudhury, H., Valente, M.
Medication errors in hospitals occur for a number of reasons, stemming from staff and organizational issues to aspects of the physical environment. Errors include omissions, giving the wrong type or amount of medication, and giving the wrong patient unneeded medication. Research has indicated that a significant amount of these errors are avoidable.
Added February 2014
The sickening rug: A repeating static pattern that leads to motion-sickness like symptoms
2011
Perception
Journal Article
Author(s): Bonato, F., Bubka, A., Graveline, V.
Flooring is a prominent component of hospital design, with surprisingly little research on the subject. An issue that has not been researched is the impact of patterns on health and perception related issues. This paper undertakes a simulated exercise on the impact of viewing specific patterns on motion-sickness like symptons. Although there is some research on the impact of visual patterns on epilepsy patients, the effect on people without neurological disorders has not been explored.
Added November 2012