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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 166

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

Low stimulus environments: reducing noise levels in continuing care

Author(s): Brown, J., Fawzi, W., Shah, A., Joyce, M., Holt, G., McCarthy, C., Stevenson, C., Marange, R., Shakes, J., Solomon-Ayeh, K.
This article highlights a project that aimed to reduce levels of intrinsic background noise on an adult mental health ward. Following intervention, the ward was able to decrease the background noise decibel level from 60dB to 53dB (on average).
Key Point Summary
Added November 2016

Individualizing hospital care for children and young people with learning disabilities: it's the little things that make the difference

Author(s): Oulton, K., Sell, D., Kerry, S., Gibson, F.
People with learning disabilities (LDs) represent one of the largest groups with a lifelong disability, reaching nearly 60 million people worldwide. In England alone, it is estimated that 1.5 million people live with an LD, 286,000 of them being children and young people ages 0-17. It has been found that those with LD have more hospital admissions and greater hospital stays than those children without.
Key Point Summary
Added November 2016

An Assessment of Levels of Safety in Psychiatric Units

Author(s): Bayramzadeh, S.
As mental treatment facilities see increases in the number of patients seeking care, facilities face mounting pressure in their attempts to promote patient well-being and safety. The author suggests that there is a lack of systematic empirical studies that examine how the design of mental healthcare facilities contributes to patient care and safety.
Key Point Summary
Added September 2016

Environmental Variables That Influence Patient Satisfaction: A Review of the Literature

Author(s): MacAllister, L., Zimring, C., Ryherd, E.
This paper is a literature review that compiles a number of studies investigating the layouts and designs of hospitals and work settings, and the influences that these environments have on health and behavioral outcomes in patients. More specifically, this review seeks to identify possible links between physical and social environmental influences to self-reported patient outcomes. The authors wish to more fully understand the elements that influence patient satisfaction, and then begin a discussion over how physical and social environments can be further analyzed to enhance satisfaction.
Key Point Summary
Added September 2016

Security Implications of Physical Design Attributes in the Emergency Department

Author(s): Pati, D., Pati, S., Harvey, T. E.
In this paper, the authors consider “security” a subset of “safety,” and note that security is imperative for providing efficient patient care, especially in emergency departments (EDs). Security is defined as the protection of people and property, while safety is defined as the broader concept of delivering patient care.
Key Point Summary
Added September 2016

Mental health facility design: The case for person-centred care

Author(s): Golembiewski, J. A.
Added June 2016

Design in mind: eliciting service user and frontline staff perspectives on psychiatric ward design through participatory methods

Author(s): Csipke, E., Papoulias, C., Vitoratou, S., Williams, P., Rose, D., Wykes, T.
Previous studies have shown repeatedly that the physical design of psychiatric wards has a significant impact on patient recovery and well-being. It has also been found that staff and patients often express conflicting expectations regarding the design of psychiatric wards. Therefore, it is important to better understand different stakeholder perceptions of the same environment so that the most effective design decisions can be made. One possible way of doing this would be using the “SURE model,” which is a participatory method involving collaborations with service users during all stages of the study.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2016

Healthcare Staffs’ Experiences and Perceptions of Caring for People with Dementia in the Acute Setting: Qualitative Evidence Synthesis

Author(s): Houghton, C., Murphy, K., Brooker, D., Casey, D.
Dementia is an international health issue that greatly impacts healthcare delivery systems. Individuals with dementia have specific needs when it comes to healthcare, and it seems that, generally, acute care environments aren’t suitable for these individuals. Considering how previous studies have shown that as much as a quarter of individuals utilizing acute hospital services are likely to have dementia, the authors posit that there needs to be a shift in ethos, organization, and environment in which more appropriate care is provided to patients with dementia in acute care settings.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2016

Are Split Flow and Provider in Triage Models in the Emergency Department Effective in Reducing Discharge Length of Stay?

Author(s): Pierce, B. A., Gormley, D.
This paper presents a quality improvement (QI) project by comparing the performance of two different emergency departments (EDs). The idea behind the split flow model is to allow for a second flow stream of patients through the ED, parallel to the regular acute/critical care flow stream, that is ultimately intended for patients with problems that are not considered complex. The role of the provider in the triage (PIT) model is to enhance patient triage assessment by providing patients with an upfront evaluation upon entering the ED.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2016

The effect of hospital layout on caregiver-patient communication patterns

Author(s): Pachilova, R., Sailer, K.
This article suggests that the field of evidence-based design (EBD), which considers information from case evaluations and credible research during design-related decision processes, has only marginally examined hospital layouts and their effects. As a result, this study attempts to build on the tradition of “Space Syntax” research, which is a theory that explores how space controls and generates encounters between inhabitants and visitors of certain spaces and how these two groups engage in communication.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2016

The Effect of a Safe Zone on Nurse Distractions, Interruptions, and Medication Administration Errors

Author(s): Yoder, M., Schadewald, D.
Added May 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

Measuring the Structure of Visual Fields in Nursing Units

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.
Key Point Summary
Added January 2016

Characteristics Associated with Low Food and Fluid Intake in Long-Term Care Residents with Dementia

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.
Key Point Summary
Added January 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

Preparing an ICU room to welcome a critically ill patient with Ebola virus disease

Author(s): Pasquier, P., Ficko, C., Mérens, A., Dubost, C.
Ebola virus disease is a viral hemorrhagic fever that spreads through direct contact with the body fluids of an infected animal or human. Contamination may also occur through contact with items that were recently contacted by infected bodily fluids. No spread of the disease through the air has been documented. As no specific treatment or vaccine for the virus is currently available, specially coordinated medical services are necessary to control outbreaks.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2015

Benefits from wood interior in a hospital room: a preference study

Author(s): Nyrud, A. Q., Bringslimark, T., Bysheim, K.
New design strategies, focusing on implementing the psychologically beneficial effects of nature in the built environment, are increasingly being implemented in building design. The design of built settings is of particular importance in environments intended for healing, such as hospitals. Preferences for a setting are thought to be indicators of factors in the environment that can enhance...
Key Point Summary
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

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.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2015