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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 61

Air Care: an ‘aerography’ of breath, buildings and bugs in the cystic fibrosis clinic

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).
Key Point Summary
Added April 2020

Airflow patterns through a sliding door during opening and foot traffic in operating rooms

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.
Key Point Summary
Added February 2020

Particle control reduces fine and ultrafine particles greater than HEPA filtration in live operating rooms and kills biologic warfare surrogate

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.
Key Point Summary
Added January 2020

Bed-integrated local exhaust ventilation system combined with local air cleaning for improved IAQ in hospital patient rooms

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.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2017

The influence of hospital ward design on resilience to heat waves: An exploration using distributed lag models

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.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2017

Methodology for analyzing environmental quality indicators in a dynamic operating room environment

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.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2017

Relationship between Environmental Conditions and Nosocomial Infection Rates in Intensive Care Unit

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.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2017

Different Types of Door-Opening Motions as Contributing Factors to Containment Failures in Hospital Isolation Rooms

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.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2016

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

Secondary exposure risks to patients in an airborne isolation room: Implications for anteroom design

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.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2016

Understanding Green Building Design and Healthcare Outcomes: Evidence-Based Design Analysis of an Oncology Unit

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.
Key Point Summary
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

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.
Key Point Summary
Added May 2016

The Creation of a Biocontainment Unit at a Tertiary Care Hospital: The Johns Hopkins Medicine Experience

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).
Key Point Summary
Added April 2016

Developing the Birth Unit Design Spatial Evaluation Tool (BUDSET) in Australia: A Qualitative Study

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.”
Key Point Summary
Added January 2016

Non-Pharmacological Interventions in Long-term Care: Feasibility and Recent Trends

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.
Key Point Summary
Added January 2016

Impact of healthcare design on patients’ perception of a rheumatology outpatient infusion room: an interventional pilot study

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...
Key Point Summary
Added December 2015

Architectural Design Drives the Biogeography of Indoor Bacterial Communities

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.
Key Point Summary
Added September 2015

Exploring Perceptions of Designers and Medical Staff in South Korea about Design Elements for the Elder-Friendly Hospital

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.
Key Point Summary
Added August 2015

From “Baby Barn” to the “Single Family Room Designed NICU”: A Report of Staff Perceptions One Year Post Occupancy

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.
Key Point Summary
Added July 2015

Luminous environment in healthcare buildings for user satisfaction and comfort: an objective and subjective field study

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.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2015