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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 - 19 of 19

Sensory strategies in adult mental health: A qualitative exploration of staff perspectives following the introduction of a sensory room on a male adult acute ward

Author(s): Forsyth, A. S., Trevarrow, R.
Added February 2019

Anticipated Advantages and Disadvantages of a move to 100% Single Room Hospital in Australia: A Case Study

Author(s): Cusack, L., Wiechula, R., Schultz, T., Dollard, J., Maben, J.
Added February 2019

The experience of person-centred practice in a 100% single-room environment in acute care settings – a narrative literature review

Author(s): Kelly, R., Brown, D., McCance, T., Boomer, C.
The increasing number of single-patient rooms in healthcare facilities around the world indicates a heightened focus on person-centered practice (PcP). This practice considers how the workflows and physical designs within healthcare environments influence the overall experiences of patients and staff alike.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2018

Attractions to Fuel the Imagination: Reframing Understandings of the Role of Distraction Relative to Well-Being in the Pediatric Hospital

Author(s): McLaughlan, R., Sadek, A., Willis, J.
Added December 2018

‘I want to feel at home’: establishing what aspects of environmental design are important to people with dementia nearing the end of life

Author(s): Fleming, R., Kelly, F., Stillfried, G.
As the global population of elderly patients seeking end-of-life care increases, greater attention is being placed on how healthcare environments can work to best provide these patients with the most positive and life-enriching experiences possible.
Key Point Summary
Added November 2018

Influence of soundscape and interior design on anxiety and perceived tranquillity of patients in a healthcare setting

Author(s): Watts, G., Khan, A., Pheasant, R.
The authors open their paper with a brief introduction on tranquil spaces and their relevance in a healthcare setting – improved hospital recovery rates, stress reduction, and more. According to the authors, tranquil spaces are spaces having a pleasant and calming effect – typically natural environments – specifically defined by low manmade sounds. The authors allude to the necessity of creating...
Key Point Summary
Added September 2017

Developing family rooms in mental health inpatient units: An exploratory descriptive study

Author(s): Isobel, S., Foster, K., Edwards, C.
Adult inpatients receiving treatment at mental health facilities often wish to visit with family members. Indeed, previous research indicates that caregivers, consumers, and medical professionals agree that children of parents with mental illness (COPMI) should be able to spend time with their parents for the mutual benefit of both patients and families.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2017

Neglected spaces: UK general practice surgery waiting rooms

Author(s): Clapton, G., Reid, L.
Added February 2017

A nursing home staff tool for the indoor visual environment: The content validity

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.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2016

Meeting the Needs of Visually Impaired People Living in Lifetime Homes

Author(s): Rooney, C., Hadjri, K., Rooney, M., Faith, V., McAllister, K., Craig, C.
Lifetime Homes standards (LTHS) are a group of mandatory public-sector housing design interventions used in the U.K. They attempt to provide a model that ensures adaptable and accessible homes for the entire duration of an occupant’s stay. Changes in one’s physical environment, much like the ones implemented by LTHS, could help reduce the impact of disabilities such as visual impairment, and could help give patients different degrees of communal living with some level of independence.
Key Point Summary
Added May 2016

Qualities of Inpatient Hospital Rooms: Patients’ Perspectives

Author(s): Devlin, A. S., Andrade, C. C., Carvalho, D.
Previous studies suggest that healthcare environments can promote patient well-being if they are designed to do three things: 1) give patients a sense of control over their social and physical surroundings, 2) provide patients with access to social support, and 3) provide patients with access to positive distractions.
Key Point Summary
Added April 2016

Using Lean-Based Systems Engineering to Increase Capacity in the Emergency Department

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.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2015

Centralized to hybrid nurse station: Communication and teamwork among nursing staff

Author(s): Zhang, Y., Soroken, L., Laccetti, M., Castillero, E. R. d., Konadu, A.
Nursing stations often act as the primary workspaces for various members of a healthcare team while patients aren’t being directly worked with. Centralized nursing stations can lead to higher rates of telephone and computer use and administrative tasks while decreasing time spent caring for patients. Conversely, decentralized nursing stations have been found to create feelings of isolation and poor communication among staff. To emphasize the positive aspects of both formats, the authors propose a hybrid nursing station design that features decentralized stations connected to centralized meeting spaces.
Key Point Summary
Added October 2015

Patients and Their Families Weigh in on Evidence-Based Hospital Design

Author(s): Trochelman, K., Albert, N., Spence, J., Murray, T., Slifcak, E.
Literature indicates that design of a healthcare facility impacts quality of care, patient safety, patient satisfaction, staff satisfaction, and outcomes. Evidence-based design (EBD) is increasingly becoming a guiding principle in the design of new healthcare facilities. As research on EBD evolves and more hospitals and architects use EBD recommendations, it becomes imperative to consider the perspectives of patients and families.
Key Point Summary
Added May 2015

Stress Reduction in the Hospital Room: Applying Ulrich’s Theory of Supportive Design

Author(s): Andrade, C. C., Devlin, A. S.
In this study the authors intended to empirically test Ulrich’s (1991) theory of supportive design. According to this, the physical-socio environment of a healthcare facility affects the well-being of patients, which is promoted through perception of control (PC), social support (SS), and positive distraction (PD). The authors point to literature that separately provides evidence for the relevance of each of the above aspects.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2014

Feeling at home in nursing homes

Author(s): De Veer, A. J. E., Kerkstra, A.
Added December 2014

An exploration of the meanings of space and place in acute psychiatric care

Author(s): Andes, M., Shattell, M. M.
The effectiveness of acute psychiatric care (or short-term psychiatric care) owes much to the design of the physical space inhabited by both patients and mental health professionals. The structure of psychiatric care centers and the barriers they either create or remove between patients and healthcare practitioners can potentially influence patient recovery and employee well-being. Some argue that private, physically exclusionary spaces designed specifically for nurses are necessary in order to protect sensitive information and provide psychological solace for the nurses themselves.
Key Point Summary
Added November 2014

Quality of life and building design in residential and nursing homes for older people

Author(s): Parker, C., Barnes, S., McKee, K., Morgan, K., Torrington, J., Tregenza, P.
Older people living in residential and nursing care homes spend a large proportion of their time within the boundaries of the home, and may depend on the environment to compensate for their physical or cognitive frailties. Regulations and guidelines on the design of care buildings have accumulated over time with little knowledge of their impact on the quality of life of building users. The Design...
Key Point Summary
Added September 2014

Radical Redesign of Nursing Homes: Applying the Green House Concept in Tupelo, Mississippi

Author(s): Rabig, J., Thomas, W., Kane, R. A., Cutler, L. J., McAlilly, S.
The Green House design should be considered as nursing home resident numbers are growing. Early experiences with the “pod-like” structure show positive effects on residents, families, and staff.
Key Point Summary
Added September 2014