Environmental factors and their association with emergency department hand hygiene compliance: an observational study
2016
BMJ Quality & Safety
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 25
Pages 372-378
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.
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
2016
Journal of Health Services Research & Policy
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 21
Pages 147-155
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.
Added February 2016
Measuring the Structure of Visual Fields in Nursing Units
2010
Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 3
Pages 48-59
Author(s): Lu, Y.
A nurses’ central role is to treat and attend to patients’ needs in a timely manner. This becomes complicated when managing several patients simultaneously, especially those in critical care. Therefore, developing an efficient system that helps nurses manage patient care and reduces nurse burnout rates is critical.
Added January 2016
Characteristics Associated with Low Food and Fluid Intake in Long-Term Care Residents with Dementia
2005
The Gerontologist
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 45
Pages 74-80
Author(s): Reed, P.S., Zimmerman, S., Sloane, P.D, Williams, C. S., Boustani, M.
Research conducted on residents of different nursing homes shows that the older people who had been suffering with impaired mobility and cognition face serious malnutrition resulting from insufficient food intake and dehydration problems due to less consumption of fluid intake. The resident characteristics that contribute to food and fluid intake include cognitive status, ability to drink independently, and physical limitations such as difficulty swallowing.
Added January 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
Home Modification and Prevention of Frailty Progression in Older Adults: A Japanese Prospective Cohort Study
2014
Journal of Gerontological Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 8
Volume 40
Pages 40-46
Author(s): Mitoku, K., Shimanouchi, S.
In a study involving 574 Japanese adults 65 years or older who required a low or moderate level of care, 34% modified their homes over the course of the study. Modification of these older adults’ homes prevented the progression of frailty (requiring higher level of care).
Added January 2016
Innovation Pilot Study: Acute Care for Elderly (ACE) Unit--Promoting Patient-Centric Care
2012
Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
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.
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
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
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
Design, Operation, and Safety of Single-Room Interventional MRI Suites: Practical Experience From Two Centers
2015
Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 41
Pages 34-43
Author(s): White, M. J., Thornton, J. S., Hawkes, D. J., Hill, D. L .G., Kitchen, N., Mancini, L., McEvoy, A. W., Razavi, R., Wilson, S., Yousry, T., Keevil, S. F.
Designing and operating healthcare spaces to accommodate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners presents a variety of challenges. These spaces are often populated with larger amounts of sensitive equipment than typical patient care units, while receiving a nearly equal amount of foot traffic.
Added December 2015
Intensive care unit design and mortality in trauma patients
2014
Journal of Surgical Research
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 190
Pages 640-646
Author(s): Pettit, N. R., Wood, T., Lieber, M., O'Mara, M. S.
A primary concern for many patient care units is the question of where to place more seriously ill patients within the space that is available. Questions regarding the impact of architectural features, such as the availability of natural lighting, or adjacency to nurse stations on patient health outcomes should be further explored so that increasingly effective healthcare environments can be established. Currently, no data exist demonstrating whether trauma patients receiving treatment in intensive care unit (ICU) beds with poor visibility from a central nursing station experience health outcomes different from those in rooms that may be more visible from the nursing station.
Added December 2015
Finding privacy from a public death: A qualitative exploration of how a dedicated space for end-of-life care in an acute hospital impacts on dying patients and their families
2015
Journal of Clinical Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 15-16
Volume 24
Pages 2164-2174
Author(s): Slatyer, S., Pienaar, C., Williams, A. M., Proctor, K., Hewitt, L.
Seriously ill patients die in hospitals around the world, and previous studies have shown that the factors that constitute a “good death” from the perspective of patients include control, comfort, family inclusion, sensitive communication, and peace. The quality of care provided to dying patients affects not only the patients, but bereaved families as well. It is therefore important for hospital environments to carefully consider the resources they provide towards quality end-of-life care.
Added December 2015
The Impact of a Flexible Care Area on Throughput Measures in an Academic Emergency Department
2015
Journal of Emergency Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 6
Volume 41
Pages 503-509
Author(s): McGrath, J., LeGare, A., Hermanson, L., Repplinger, M. D.
This paper explores the implementation of a novel strategy which involved the creation of a “flexible care area” (FCA), a space designed for initiating patient evaluations and treatments at the beginning of a patient’s visit.
Added December 2015
Ready-JET-Go: Split Flow Accelerates ED Throughput
2015
Journal of Emergency Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 42
Pages 114-119
Author(s): Bish, P. A., McCormick, M. A., Otegbeye, M.
Emergency departments (ED) in America have seen large increases in demand for emergency services over the last decade. This increased demand for ED services has resulted in delayed treatment for patients, increased rates of patients leaving the ED without receiving treatment, and decreases in satisfactory ED visit experiences.
Added December 2015
Initiatives to reduce overcrowding and access block in Australian emergency departments: A literature review
2014
Collegian
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 21
Pages 359-366
Author(s): Crawford, K., Morphet, J., Jones, T., Innes, K., Griffiths, D., Williams, Allison
Australian emergency departments are experiencing an increasing demand for their services. Patient throughput continues to expand resulting in overcrowding and access block where patients cannot gain entry to appropriate hospital beds. This is despite both state and federal governments implementing numerous schemes to address the complex causes of stress on emergency departments. This paper...
Added December 2015
Using Lean-Based Systems Engineering to Increase Capacity in the Emergency Department
2014
Western Journal of Emergency Medicine
Journal Article
Issue 7
Volume 15
Pages 770-776
Author(s): White, B., Chang, Y., Grabowski, B., Brown, D.
Emergency department (ED) crowding is a widespread issue that causes a multitude of negative effects on patient care quality, safety, and efficiency. Lean-based systems engineering, which is often used for industrial manufacturing, is a method for eliminating all forms of waste (including wasted time and other resources) to optimize productivity. Recent studies have begun to demonstrate the use of systems engineering and improvement science on streamlining processes and improving throughput in different medical capacities, but an opportunity remains to refine the application of these tools within EDs in particular.
Added December 2015
