Human factors considerations in designing for infection prevention and control in neonatal care – findings from a pre-design inquiry
2018
Ergonomics
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 61
Pages 169-184
Author(s): Trudel, C., Cobb, S., Momtahan, K., Brintnell, J., Mitchell, A.
As healthcare environments are being more frequently redesigned to improve patient experiences and provider operations, it becomes increasingly important that healthcare providers themselves understand how these new designs are intended to be utilized. Giving healthcare providers a deeper understanding of the functions and purposes underlying important healthcare design decisions could help reduce potential operational errors or staff frustrations.
Added December 2018
Development and Use of Mobile Containment Units for the Evaluation and Treatment of Potential Ebola Virus Disease Patients in a United States Hospital
2015
Academic Emergency Medicine
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 22
Pages 616-622
Author(s): Sugalski, G., Murano, T., Fox, A., Rosania, A., Bogucki, S.
University Hospital was in a unique situation for the potential of receiving suspected Ebola patients from Newark (N.J.) International Airport. This situation led to the establishment of an Ebola treatment area (ETA) separate from the main hospital with easy access to hospital employees and equipment when needed. The ETA was built inside a pre-existing building that was empty on the first floor using Western Shelter Systems. This allowed the relatively quick erection of the unit without building a permanent unit.
Added June 2016
Being Wheeled or Walking: A Qualitative Study of Patients’ Spatial Experience in Two Distinct Day Surgery Centers
2016
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 9
Pages 176-189
Author(s): Annemans, M., Audenhove, C. V., Vermolen, H., Heylighen, A.
Added April 2016
Centralized to hybrid nurse station: Communication and teamwork among nursing staff
2015
Journal of Nursing Education and Practice
Journal Article
Issue 12
Volume 5
Pages 34-41
Author(s): Zhang, Y., Soroken, L., Laccetti, M., Castillero, E. R. d., Konadu, A.
Nursing stations often act as the primary workspaces for various members of a healthcare team while patients aren’t being directly worked with. Centralized nursing stations can lead to higher rates of telephone and computer use and administrative tasks while decreasing time spent caring for patients. Conversely, decentralized nursing stations have been found to create feelings of isolation and poor communication among staff. To emphasize the positive aspects of both formats, the authors propose a hybrid nursing station design that features decentralized stations connected to centralized meeting spaces.
Added October 2015
Impact of the physical environment of psychiatric wards on the use of seclusion
2013
The British Journal of Psychiatry
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 202
Pages 142-149
Author(s): van der Schaaf, P. S., Dusseldorp, E., Keuning, F. M., Janssen, W. A., Noorthoorn, E. O.
Disturbed behavior and patient aggression within psychiatric wards can threaten both patient and staff safety. To manage these patients, psychiatric wards often will use coercive measures such as solitary confinement. Patient aggression arises from a complex interaction between patient characteristics, staff characteristics, and the characteristics of the physical environment of the psychiatric ward itself. Most studies have focused on the dynamics between patient and staff characteristics; little research has been done to investigate how the physical environment of psychiatric wards might influence patient aggression and subsequently the use of coercive measures.
Added October 2015
The relationship between birth unit design and safe, satisfying birth: Developing a hypothetical model
2010
Midwifery
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 26
Pages 520-525
Author(s): Foureur, M., Davis, D., Fenwick, J., Leap, N., Iedema, R., Forbes, I., Homer, C. S. E.
The authors assert that just as the designed environment can impact health outcomes by disrupting effective communication and increasing patient and staff stress, it can also impact the experiences and outcomes for birthing women.
Added December 2014
An exploration of the meanings of space and place in acute psychiatric care
2006
Issues in Mental Health Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 6
Volume 27
Pages 699-707
Author(s): Andes, M., Shattell, M. M.
The effectiveness of acute psychiatric care (or short-term psychiatric care) owes much to the design of the physical space inhabited by both patients and mental health professionals. The structure of psychiatric care centers and the barriers they either create or remove between patients and healthcare practitioners can potentially influence patient recovery and employee well-being. Some argue that private, physically exclusionary spaces designed specifically for nurses are necessary in order to protect sensitive information and provide psychological solace for the nurses themselves.
Added November 2014
Quality of life and building design in residential and nursing homes for older people
2004
Ageing and Society
Journal Article
Issue 6
Volume 24
Pages 941-962
Author(s): Parker, C., Barnes, S., McKee, K., Morgan, K., Torrington, J., Tregenza, P.
Older people living in residential and nursing care homes spend a large proportion of their time within the boundaries of the home, and may depend on the environment to compensate for their physical or cognitive frailties. Regulations and guidelines on the design of care buildings have accumulated over time with little knowledge of their impact on the quality of life of building users. The Design...
Added September 2014
Lean Thinking in Emergency Departments: A Critical Review
2011
Annals of Emergency Medicine
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 57
Pages 265-278
Author(s): Holden, R. J.
Added May 2014
