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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 24

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

Destination Bedside

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.
Key Point Summary
Added January 2016

Implications of the emergency department triage environment on triage practice for clients with a mental illness at triage in an Australian context

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.
Key Point Summary
Added October 2015

Lighting for Today's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

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.
Key Point Summary
Added July 2015

Colour Sustainability in Hospitals Interior Spaces

Author(s): Elqahtani, L. A., Elgizawi, L.
The impact of the physical environment on health outcomes in hospital facilities has been studied extensively. Interior colors affect the moods and feelings of hospital users to a degree that must not be overlooked by facility designers.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2015

The effect of hospital design on indoor daylight quality in children section in King Abdullah University Hospital, Jordan

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.
Key Point Summary
Added March 2015

Sustained reduction in serious fall-related injuries in older people in hospital.

Author(s): Fonda, D., Cook, J., Sandler, V., Bailey, M.
Falls are the leading cause of injury in Australian hospitals, with 38 percent of all hospital incidents related to falls. In hospital settings, single interventions have not been proven successful in preventing or reducing falls, whereas multisystem or multi-strategy approaches have shown to be more effective.
Key Point Summary
Added November 2014

Caring or uncaring – meanings of being in an oncology environment

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...
Key Point Summary
Added November 2014

Evidence-based design for infants and staff in the neonatal intensive care unit

Author(s): Shepley, M. M.
There has been a marked increase in evidence-based studies relating to neonatal intensive care units in pediatric healthcare literature. While it is acknowledged that clinical, operational, and social dimensions play the most significant role in healing, the physical environment has also been universally identified as a critical factor. Conscientious architects are becoming increasingly aware of the impact of design decisions on the sensory environment of the neonatal intensive care unit.
Key Point Summary
Added July 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

The Effect of Environmental Design on Reducing Nursing Errors and Increasing Efficiency in Acute Care Settings: A Review and Analysis of the Literature

Author(s): Chaudhury, H., Mahmood, A., Valente, M.
In acute care settings, the physical environment plays an important role in staff efficiency and patient safety. Some research suggests that poor environments can result in staff stress, anxiety, and distractions due to noise; artificial lighting; improper or inadequate ventilation; and disorienting layouts of nursing units. There is less research on how environmental factors affect nursing staff health, effectiveness, errors, and job satisfaction.
Key Point Summary
Added April 2014

Nurses’ Perception of Single-Occupancy Versus Multioccupancy Rooms in Acute Care Environments: An Exploratory Comparative Assessment

Author(s): Chaudhury, H., Mahmood, A., Valente, M.
As people are living longer and the baby boomers age, the demand for hospital beds will increase. As new facilities are built to handle this influx of patients, the challenge for hospital designers and administrators is to design patient rooms that promote therapeutic goals, foster positive patient outcomes, and function as intensive care rooms. Recent research suggests that single-occupancy rooms are more suitable for infection control and patient care than multioccupancy rooms. However, no research has been done about nursing staff members’ perception of single-occupancy and multioccupancy patient rooms in acute care settings as it relates to patient care.
Key Point Summary
Added April 2014

Environmental evaluation for workplace violence in healthcare and social services

Author(s): McPhaul, K.M. , Murrett, K., Flannery, K. , Rosen, J., Lipscomb, J., London, M.
The purpose of this project was to contribute specific, evidence–based guidance to the healthcare and social services employer communities regarding the use of environmental design to prevent violence.
Key Point Summary
Added April 2014

Noise Levels in an Urban Hospital and Workers' Subjective Responses

Author(s): Bayo, M. V., Garcia, A. M., Armando, G.
Noise has become a major environmental problem as well as a public health concern, resulting in a wide range of negative consequences. Despite healthcare facilities’ attempts to foster favorable environments to assist in patient recovery and staff working conditions, noise levels are often higher than desirable in and around hospitals. There is a need to identify the main noisy areas and noise sources and evaluate the hospital staff’s reactions to noise.
Key Point Summary
Added April 2014

Effect of Environmental Design on Reducing Nursing and Medication Errors in Acute Care Settings

Author(s): Mahmood, A. , Habib, C.
Added October 2012

Designing for Patient Safety: Developing Methods to Integrate Patient Safety Concerns in the Design Process

Author(s): Joseph, A., Taylor, E. M. , Quan, X., Jelen, M.
Added October 2012

The Effect of Environmental Design on Reducing Nursing and Medication Errors in Acute Care Settings

Author(s): Chaudhury, H.P., Mahmood, A.P.
Added October 2012

Design Evaluation Of Six Primary Care Facilities For The Purpose Of Informing Future Design Decisions

Author(s): Min Kantrowitz & Associates
Added October 2012

The impact of flicker from fluorescent lighting on well-being, performance, and physiological arousal

Author(s): Kuller, R., Laike, T.
Added October 2012

The healing environment in our communities and healthcare settings: research excellence into practice

Author(s): Craft, N.
Added October 2012