Air Care: an ‘aerography’ of breath, buildings and bugs in the cystic fibrosis clinic
2020
Sociology of Health and Illness
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 42
Pages 972-986
Author(s): Brown, N., Buse, C., Lewis, A., Martin, D., Nettleton, S.
Research in medical humanities works on hospital architecture demonstrates the historical significance of spatial design for airflow and air exchange from the pre-antibiotic period until the present. The spatial and atmospheric design of hospitals is conceived while paying attention to the prevention of the spread of airborne infections, e.g., cystic fibrosis (CF).
Added April 2020
Airflow patterns through a sliding door during opening and foot traffic in operating rooms
2016
Building and Environment
Journal Article
Author(s): Villafruela, J. M., San José, J. F., Castro, F., Zarzuelo, A.
Operating rooms (ORs) often have higher air pressure than nearby rooms to prevent potentially contaminated air from entering the OR and causing infection. Opening the door during an operation may cause a change in pressure; further change in pressure may occur if a person moves through the door.
Added February 2020
Particle control reduces fine and ultrafine particles greater than HEPA filtration in live operating rooms and kills biologic warfare surrogate
2020
American Journal of Infection Control
Journal Article
Author(s): Ereth, M. H., Hess, D. H., Driscoll, A., Hernandez, M., Stamatatos, F.
Modern buildings tend to feature more insulation and tighter building envelopes, which can increase concentrations of indoor pathogens, particles, and pollutants. This can lead to higher rates of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), making the control of indoor air quality critically important.
Added January 2020
Bed-integrated local exhaust ventilation system combined with local air cleaning for improved IAQ in hospital patient rooms
2016
Building and Environment
Journal Article
Author(s): Bivolarova, M. P., Melikov, A. K., Mizutani, C., Kajiwara, K., Bolashikov, Z. D.
Ventilation in patient rooms can contribute to the health and comfort of both patients and staff. Indoor air quality (IAQ) is indeed an important factor in healthcare environments, especially when it comes to mitigating the spread of germs and potentially toxic airborne chemicals. Ventilated mattresses (VMs) can be effective for capturing and removing potentially harmful airborne particles before they spread throughout a given space.
Added June 2017
The influence of hospital ward design on resilience to heat waves: An exploration using distributed lag models
2015
Energy and Buildings
Journal Article
Author(s): Iddon, C. R., Mills, T. C., Giridharan, R., Lomas, K. J.
Prolonged periods of uncharacteristically high outdoor temperatures (often referred to as “heat waves”) are correlated with increases in localized mortality rates. Hospitals have a responsibility to protect patient populations from harmful weather conditions, especially chronically ill patients that are vulnerable during prolonged exposure to high temperatures.
Added June 2017
Methodology for analyzing environmental quality indicators in a dynamic operating room environment
2017
American Journal of Infection Control
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 45
Pages 354-359
Author(s): Gormley, T., Markel, T. A., Jones, H. W., Wagner, J., Greeley, D., Clarke, J. H., Abkowitz, M., Ostojic, J.
Operating rooms (ORs) provide space for delicate and complex medical procedures. This is why these spaces are closely monitored for cleanliness and efficiency. HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) are especially important features to optimize in these environments so that rates of surgical site infections may be reduced.
Added June 2017
Relationship between Environmental Conditions and Nosocomial Infection Rates in Intensive Care Unit
2017
Medical Journal of Islamic World Academy of Sciences
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 25
Pages 15–18
Author(s): Şimşek, E. M., Grassie, S. S., Emre, C., Gevrek, S. Ç.
Due to the highly vulnerable state of the patients populating intensive care units (ICUs) and the health risks posed to healthcare providers working in ICUs, special attention must be given to the causes and effects of nosocomial infections within these areas.
Added June 2017
Different Types of Door-Opening Motions as Contributing Factors to Containment Failures in Hospital Isolation Rooms
2013
PLOS ONE
Journal Article
Issue 6
Volume 8
Pages e66663
Author(s): Tang, J. W., Nicolle, A., Pantelic, J., Klettner, C. A., Su, R., Kalliomaki, P., Saarinen, P., Koskela, H., Reijula, K., Mustakallio, P., Cheong, D. K. W., Sekhar, C., Tham, K. W., Costa, C.
When under negative pressure, hospital isolation rooms are essential for both the containment of patients emitting airborne infectious agents as well as the protection of other patients from these agents. A plethora of different doors are used in the construction of these rooms, but relatively few studies have analyzed how certain door-opening motions and the passage of healthcare workers through these doors can affect the overall performance of isolation rooms.
Added December 2016
Airflow patterns through single hinged and sliding doors in hospital isolation rooms – Effect of ventilation, flow differential and passage
2016
Building and Environment
Journal Article
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.
Added December 2016
Secondary exposure risks to patients in an airborne isolation room: Implications for anteroom design
2016
Building and Environment
Journal Article
Author(s): Mousavi, E. S., Grosskopf, K. R.
Previous research has shown that negatively pressurized Airborne Infectious Isolation Rooms (AIIRs) can protect hospitals from fatal airborne pathogens such as tuberculosis. But this use of negative pressurization can simultaneously increase the chances of isolated patients contracting secondary infections, or healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs), caused by air blowing in from adjacent spaces. Research is needed to better assess the actual likelihood of secondary infections occurring in these scenarios so that steps can be taken to mitigate these risks.
Added December 2016
Understanding Green Building Design and Healthcare Outcomes: Evidence-Based Design Analysis of an Oncology Unit
2016
Journal of Architectural Engineering
Journal Article
Author(s): Campion, N., Thiel, C. L., Focareta, J., Bilec, M. M.
The United States healthcare industry is a major part of the economy as well as a significant contributor to carbon dioxide emissions and other environmental issues. Green building design (GBD) attempts to offset environmental impacts of buildings, and recently designers have been combining GBD with evidence-based design (EBD) in order to create facilities that positively impact both the external and internal environment.
Added June 2016
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.
Added May 2016
The Creation of a Biocontainment Unit at a Tertiary Care Hospital: The Johns Hopkins Medicine Experience
2016
Annals of the American Thoracic Society
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 13
Pages 600-608
Author(s): Garibaldi, B. T., Kelen, G. D., Brower, R. G., Bova, G., Ernst, N., Reimers, M., Langlotz, R., Gimburg, A., Iati, M., Smith, C., MacConnell, S., James, H., Lewin, J. J., Trexler, P., Black, M. A., Lynch, C., Clarke, W., Marzinke, M. A., Sokoll, L. J., Carroll, K. C., Parish, N. M., Dionne, K., Biddison, E. L. D., Gwon, H. S., Sauer, L., Hill, P., Newton, S. M., Garrett, M. R., Miller, R. G., Perl, T. M., Maragakis, L. L.
Prior to the 2014 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa, the United States had only one to three specialized biocontainment units. Once the EVD crisis began, a group of reputable American healthcare institutions worked together to renovate a deactivated clinical space into a functioning biocontainment unit (BCU).
Added April 2016
Developing the Birth Unit Design Spatial Evaluation Tool (BUDSET) in Australia: A Qualitative Study
2010
Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 3
Pages 43-57
Author(s): Foureur, M., Leap, N., Davis, D., Forbes, I., & Homer, C.
To develop a tool to assess the “optimality” of birth unit design. This is important because “Optimal birth spaces are likely to enable women to have physiologically normal labor and birth.”
Added January 2016
Non-Pharmacological Interventions in Long-term Care: Feasibility and Recent Trends
2014
Journal of Gerontological Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 40
Pages 10-14
Author(s): Fitzsimmons, S., Barba, B., Stump, M. & Bonner, E.
This article discusses the use of non-pharmacological interventions as part of an effort to minimize the negative effects of antipsychotic drug use on patients with cognitive impairment or perceived behavioral issues. Aspects of the built environment were included.
Added January 2016
Impact of healthcare design on patients’ perception of a rheumatology outpatient infusion room: an interventional pilot study
2015
Clinical Rheumatology
Journal Article
Issue 7
Volume 34
Pages 1249-1254
Author(s): Bukh, G., Tommerup, A. M. M., Madsen, O. R.
Evidence-based healthcare design is a concept aimed at reducing stress factors in the physical environment for the benefit of patients and the medical staff. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of room modifications on patients’ perception of an outpatient infusion room used for treating rheumatologic diseases. Patient and nurse interviews, a staff workshop and field...
Added December 2015
Architectural Design Drives the Biogeography of Indoor Bacterial Communities
2014
PLOS ONE
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 9
Pages e87093
Author(s): Kembel, S. W., Meadow, J. F., O’Connor, T. K., Mhuireach, G., Northcutt, D., Kline, J., Moriyama, M., Brown, G. Z., Bohannan, B. J. M., Green, J. L., White, B. A.
Human beings spend a substantial portion of their time in buildings that are complex ecosystems for microorganisms. Humans come in contact with the built environment microbiome (the microbial communities within buildings) which have the potential to affect their health. The authors suggest that the built environment microbiome can be modified through design to ultimately influence human health.
Added September 2015
Exploring Perceptions of Designers and Medical Staff in South Korea about Design Elements for the Elder-Friendly Hospital
2014
Journal of Interior Design
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 39
Pages 15-32
Author(s): Kim, D., Lee, J. H., Ha, M.
The elderly population is growing around the world and so is the geriatric patient population. The authors indicate that despite the fact that the elderly will soon be the primary users of healthcare services, healthcare facilities are not designed for the elderly. In this study, designers and medical staff were asked to rate the importance of 33 design elements in the context of an elder-friendly hospital.
Added August 2015
From “Baby Barn” to the “Single Family Room Designed NICU”: A Report of Staff Perceptions One Year Post Occupancy
2010
Newborn and Infant Nursing Reviews
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 10
Pages 97-103
Author(s): Cone, S. K., Short, S., Gutcher, G.
Single Family Rooms (SFRs) are becoming an increasingly popular design model in the care of critically ill preterm infants. The advantages of this physical environment to the infant, family and care providers is well documented.
Added July 2015
Luminous environment in healthcare buildings for user satisfaction and comfort: an objective and subjective field study
2015
Indoor and Built Environment
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 25
Pages 809-825
Author(s): Lo Verso, V. R.M., Caffaro, F., Aghemo, C.
Lighting is important in healthcare, and the authors indicate its relevance to patient recovery and staff satisfaction. According to the authors, luminous environmental quality affects visual comfort, which is related to both natural and artificial lighting.
Added June 2015