Systematic light exposure in the treatment of cancer-related fatigue: a preliminary study: Systematic light exposure in the treatment of cancer-related fatigue
2014
Psycho-Oncology
Journal Article
Issue 12
Volume 23
Pages 1431-1434
Author(s): Redd, W. H., Valdimarsdottir, H., Wu, L. M., Winkel, G., Byrne, E. E., Beltre, M. A., Liebman, E. S., Erazo, T., Hayes, J. A., Isola, L., Scigliano, E., Meschian, Y., Lutgendorf, S., Ancoli-Israel, S.
Patients with cancer frequently report the side effect of fatigue, which is described as distressing, persistent, and related to physical, emotional, and cognitive tiredness or exhaustion. Patients report feeling tired after resting during their treatments and long after the treatment has ended.
Added November 2016
The ability of environmental healthcare design strategies to impact event related anxiety in pediatric patients: A comprehensive systematic review
Author(s): Norton-Westwood, D.
Healthcare settings such as hospitals or dentists’ offices have been known to contribute to the anxiety often experienced by patients receiving treatment. Anxiety has been linked to various health concerns, manifesting both physiologically and psychologically, that can result in prolonged hospital stays and other complications.
Added June 2016
A nursing home staff tool for the indoor visual environment: The content validity
2016
Journal of Nursing Education and Practice
Journal Article
Issue 11
Volume 6
Pages 25-33
Author(s): Sinoo, M. M., Kort, H. S. M., Loomans, M. G. L. C., Schols, J. M. G. A.
Visual impairments affecting residents of nursing homes can arise from numerous causes, and they can directly affect these residents’ quality of life by jeopardizing their ability to participate in daily activities such as reading, watching television, or even interacting with others. The physical makeup of the nursing home itself can work to either help or hinder its residents, and in cases in which the environment is beneficial, the nursing home can be called an “environmental fit.
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
Shaping the slats of hospital patient room window blinds for daylighting and external view under desert clear skies
2016
Solar Energy
Journal Article
Author(s): Sherif, A., Sabry, H., Wagdy, A., Mashaly, I, Arafa, R.
Many previous studies have shown how natural lighting can contribute to the healing nature of a hospital’s environment by reducing patient fatigue, stress, and length of stay. Desert locations are often characterized by continually clear skies, making control of the sunlight even more essential to patient satisfaction. It is therefore important to determine the optimal shape of window blind slats so that discomfort can be reduced without compromising levels of illumination.
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
Designing a “Think-Along Dwelling” for People with Dementia: A Co-Creation Project Between Health Care and the Building Services Sector
2013
Journal of Housing for the Elderly
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 27
Pages 299-332
Author(s): Van Hoof, J., Blom, M. M., Post, H. N. A., & Bastein, W. L
Many of the elderly prefer to age-in-place. However, if one of the elderly developments dementia, particular challenges may be posed when designing, constructing, or retrofitting an existing home environment. In the Netherlands about two-thirds of the people with dementia live at home. This is the setting for this study.
Added January 2016
The Impact of an Acute Psychiatry Environment on Older Patients and Their Families
2014
Journal of Gerontological Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 20
Pages 1-7
Author(s): Hung, L., Loewen, E., Bindley, B., McLaren, D., Feist, T., & Phinney, A.
There is a lack of research that examines impact of the designed environment on the experience of older adults and their families in healthcare settings.
Added January 2016
Specialized Design for Dementia
2013
Perspectives in Public Health
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 133
Pages 151-158
Author(s): Habell, M.
Designing for people with dementia is a major need in elderly care buildings. However, it is difficult to design for this population, as the parameters of dementia itself are often vague. The author also notes that the registration requirements in the UK for a care home make no distinction between the type of dementia or the severity of the dementia.
Added January 2016
The Business Case for Building Better Neonatal Intensive Care Units
Journal of Perinatology
2014
Journal Article
Issue 11
Volume 34
Pages 811-815
Author(s): Shepley, M., Smith, J.A., Sadler, B.L. & White, R.D.
There is increasing evidence that the physical environment of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) has a tangible effect on the vulnerable infants who spend the first crucial weeks or months of their life there.
Added January 2016
Destination Bedside
2012
The Journal of Nursing Administration
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 42
Pages 256-265
Author(s): Watkins, N., Kennedy, M., Lee, N., O’Neill, M., Peavey, E., DuCharme, M., & Padula, C.
Patient-centered care (PCC) has been at the core of healthcare reform. Improvements and advancements in Healthcare Information Technology (HIT), Electronic Health Records and inpatient unit layout have been some means that aim to achieve PCC. Also key to PCC is the alleviation of medical errors, which HIT and related technology can help achieve.
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
Implications of the emergency department triage environment on triage practice for clients with a mental illness at triage in an Australian context
2014
Australasian Emergency Nursing Journal
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 17
Pages 23-29
Author(s): Broadbent, M., Moxham, L., Dwyer, T.
Emergency departments (EDs) in Australia have been seeing an increase in recent years in the number of patients presenting with mental illness. This study aims to determine if the triage environment of the ED influences the triage practice of ED nurses. Using an ethnographic approach, the research found that ED nurses felt that triaging mentally ill patients in an area that is very public, noisy, and lacks privacy can impact their ability to effectively conduct assessments and manage patients.
Added October 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
Lighting for Today's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
2010
Newborn and Infant Nursing Reviews
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 10
Pages 107-113
Author(s): Rizzo, P., Rea, M., White, R.
Lighting is a design feature in NICUs that needs to cater to and support all users of the NICU – the infant, the staff, and the family. The authors surmise that lighting should be quiet, reliable, efficient, maintenance- free, and flexible in accordance with the diverse and changing requirements of the NICU users.
Added July 2015
Ambient light levels and critical care outcomes
2013
Journal of Critical Care
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 28
Pages 110.e1-110.e8
Author(s): Verceles, A. C., Liu, X., Terrin, M. L., Scharf, S. M., Shanholtz, C., Harris, A., Ayanleye, B, Parker, A., Netzer, G.
Several U.S. healthcare agencies endorse a guideline that requires the construction of windows in patient care rooms so that naturally regulated sunlight can contribute to interior ambient lighting. This recommendation has been adopted by agencies in 46 U.S. states. Few studies have analyzed the association between light levels and intensive care unit (ICU) outcomes. No previous studies have quantitatively measured light levels or assessed intermediate factors such as analgesic use.
Added March 2015
The effect of hospital design on indoor daylight quality in children section in King Abdullah University Hospital, Jordan
2015
Sustainable Cities and Society
Journal Article
Author(s): Alzoubi, H. H., Al-Rqaibat, S. M.
Previous studies have shown that natural lighting in assisted-living homes and hospitals can help reduce heating costs while benefitting the physiological and psychological states of patients and staff. Exposure to sunlight has been associated with reduced mortality rates among cancer patients, with mood improvements, and with reduced lengths of hospitalization for patients receiving treatment for myocardial infarction.
Added March 2015
Healing environment: A review of the impact of physical environmental factors on users
2012
Building and Environment
Journal Article
Author(s): Huisman, E. R. C. M., Morales, E., van Hoof, J., Kort, H. S. M.
According to the authors, research that examines the physical environment and its impact on the healing and well-being of human beings has been growing in the last several years. There is increasing availability of literature on evidence-based design.
Added March 2015
Tailored lighting intervention improves measures of sleep, depression, and agitation in persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia living in long-term care facilities
2014
Clinical Interventions in Aging
Journal Article
Author(s): Figueiro, M. G., Plitnick, B. A., Lok, A., Jones, G. E., Higgins, P., Hornick, T. R., Rea, M. S.
In 2010, an estimated 5.1 million elderly Americans were affected by Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD). Individuals with ADRD are often transferred into controlled environments due to common behavioral symptoms such as nocturnal wandering, disturbed sleep-wake patterns, agitation, and verbal or physical abuse.
Added March 2015
Caring or uncaring – meanings of being in an oncology environment
2006
Journal of Advanced Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 55
Pages 188-197
Author(s): Edvardsson, D., Sandman, P. O., Rasmussen, B.
The idea that the physical environment impacts health and well-being has been explored throughout history. In modern contexts, studies have been conducted to show how hospital design features such as art and views of natural scenery can positively influence patient experience, and how environmental variables such as sound, architecture, and color can affect different biomedical responses in...
Added November 2014
