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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 36

Bringing the single versus multi-patient room debate to vulnerable patient populations: A systematic review of the impact of room types on hospitalized older people and people with neurological disorders

Author(s): Shannon, M. M., Lipson-Smith, R., Elf, M., Olver, J., Kramer, S., Bernhardt, J.
Added February 2019

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

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

Impact of Neonatal Intensive Care Bed Configuration on Rates of Late-Onset Bacterial Sepsis and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Colonization

Author(s): Julian, S., Burnham, C.-A., Sellenriek, P., Shannon, W. D., Hamvas, A., Tarr, P. I., Warner, B. B.
Late-onset infections are a continuing issue, causing notable levels of morbidity and mortality in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), while also increasing the length of patient stay and financial burdens on healthcare institutions. Few previous studies have tested the hypothesis that infants in single-patient rooms have a lower risk of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization, late-onset sepsis, and death.
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

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

Environmental factors and their association with emergency department hand hygiene compliance: an observational study

Author(s): Carter, E. J., Wyer, P., Giglio, J., Jia, H., Nelson, G., Kauari, V. E., Larson, E. L.
Adherence to proper hand hygiene procedures has been repeatedly shown to help prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Emergency departments (EDs) often experience environmental conditions such as crowding and subsequently end up using non-traditional patient care areas such as hallways to administer treatment. It is possible that the use of non-traditional patient care areas contributes to lower levels of hand hygiene compliance.
Key Point Summary
Added March 2016

Is single room hospital accommodation associated with differences in healthcare-associated infection, falls, pressure ulcers or medication errors? A natural experiment with non-equivalent controls

Author(s): Simon, M., Maben, J., Murrells, T., Griffiths, P.
Previous studies have associated single-patient rooms with reduced infection rates, reduced medication errors, and faster patient recovery rates. In response, an increasing number of hospitals have been shifting towards an entirely single-patient room layout. Although there are plenty of studies from the U.K. providing empirical evidence for the efficacy of single-patient rooms, the United States lacks this foundation of published research, and could therefore benefit from an outcome analysis of single-patient rooms.
Key Point Summary
Added February 2016

Innovation Pilot Study: Acute Care for Elderly (ACE) Unit--Promoting Patient-Centric Care

Author(s): Krall et al.
Older patients have different needs: cognitive impairment, chronic health issues, caregiver burden, and maintenance of functional level. These issues present challenges to healthcare organizations when caring for this population on a general medical-surgical unit.
Key Point Summary
Added January 2016

Do Cost Savings from Reductions in Nosocomial Infections Justify Additional Costs of Single-Bed Rooms in Intensive Care Units? A Simulation Case Study

Author(s): Sadatsafavi, H., Niknejad, B., Zadeh, R., Sadatsafavi, M.
Nosocomial infections are infections that are acquired in healthcare facilities. They are a key factor in decisions to construct and maintain single-patient bedrooms in intensive care units (ICUs), since single-patient rooms have been shown to greatly reduce instances of nosocomial infections. However, no prior studies have investigated whether the resource savings incurred from reducing nosocomial infections are worth the construction and maintenance costs required for single-patient bedrooms in ICUs.
Key Point Summary
Added October 2015

Design of the environment of care for safety of patients and personnel: Does form follow function or vice versa in the intensive care unit?

Author(s): Bartley, J., Streifel, A. J.
Added September 2015

Exploring Safety and Quality In a Hemodialysis Environment With Participatory Photographic Methods: A Restorative Approach.

Author(s): Marck, P., Molzahn, A., Berry-Hauf, R., Hutchings, L. G., Hughes, S.
The authors indicate that hemodialysis units can be fraught with numerous safety issues related to medication errors, lapses in communication, patient falls, equipment issues, infection control, etc. These issues can be critical in high-acuity units. This study used qualitative methods to identify existing and potential safety issues in a hemodialysis unit in a tertiary care hospital in Canada.
Key Point Summary
Added September 2015

The single-patient room in the NICU: maternal and family effects

Author(s): Pineda, R. G., Stransky, K. E., Rogers, C., Duncan, M. H., Smith, G. C., Neil, J., Inder, T.
The authors allude to the references in literature about the stress associated with being the parent of an infant in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Indicating that the physical environment of a NICU may afford the possibility of alleviating such stress, the authors present the findings of this study which aimed to explore the relationship between the type of NICU room (single-patient versus open bay), parental practices and maternal health.
Key Point Summary
Added July 2015

Impact of the Design of Neonatal Intensive Care Units on Neonates, Staff, and Families: A Systematic Literature Review

Author(s): Shahheidari, M., Homer, C.
The authors indicate that the design of NICUs incorporating single family rooms as evidence indicates this room type contributes to the better development of babies, facilitates increased parental involvement in care, controls infection, and reduces noise and length of stay.
Key Point Summary
Added July 2015

Implications of design on infection prevention and control practice in a novel hospital unit: the Medical Ward of the 21st Century

Author(s): VanSteelandt, A., Conly, J., Ghali, W., Mather, C.
The design of a hospital has an important role to play in the prevention and control of infections in hospitals, as does healthcare worker compliance with preventive measures of infection control. Evidence has shown that single-patient rooms are more effective in the control of infection than multi-patient rooms. This study examined the relationship between the design of a hospital unit and the practice of infection control.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2015

Taking ergonomics to the bedside – A multi-disciplinary approach to designing safer healthcare

Author(s): Norris, B., West, J., Anderson, O., Davey, G., Brodie, A.
Added November 2014

Does proper design of an intensive care unit affect compliance with isolation practices?

Author(s): Rodriguez, M., Ford, D., Adams, S.
This article tackles these questions, as well as looks at the importance of end-user input to renovation and construction healthcare projects.
Key Point Summary
Added November 2014

A decade of adult intensive care unit design: a study of the physical design features of the best-practice examples

Author(s): Rashid, M., Abushousheh, A.
This article reports a study of the physical design characteristics of a set of adult intensive care units (ICUs), built between 1993 and 2003. These ICUs were recognized as the best-practice examples by the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, and the American Institute of Architects.
Key Point Summary
Added July 2014

Utilizing Integrated Facility Design to Improve the Quality of a Pediatric Ambulatory Surgery Center

Author(s): Pelly, N., Zeallear, B., B., Reed, M., Martin, L.
Integrated Facility Design (IFD) comes from the Toyota 3P (Production, Preparation, Process) program used to reduce initial cost, while accelerating development time.
Key Point Summary
Added May 2014

Life Safety Code Comparison

Author(s): Crowley, M. A., Harper, J. E.
Added May 2014