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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 111

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

Does a new spatial design in psychiatric inpatient care influence patients’ and staff’s perception of their care/working environment? A study protocol of a pilot study using a single-system experimental design

Author(s): Lindgren, B.-M., Molin, J., Lundström, M., Strömbäck, M., Renberg, E. S., Ringnér, A,.
Added December 2018

The Physical and Psychosocial Environment’s Influence on Patients’ and Staff’s Perceptions of Person-Centered Care in Forensic Psychiatry

Author(s): Alexiou, E., Degl'Innocenti, A., Kullgren, A., Falk, H., Wijk, H.
Added September 2018

Mental and behavioral health settings: Importance & effectiveness of environmental qualities & features as perceived by staff

Author(s): Shepley, M. M., Watson, A., Pitts, F., Garrity, A., Spelman, E., Fronsman, A., Kelkar, J.
While many previous studies have examined how facility designs can benefit patients within non-psychiatric acute care settings, there is a lack of research exploring how physical environments can be better suited to promote the health of patients in mental and behavioral health (MBH) facilities.
Key Point Summary
Added February 2017

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

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

Mental and Behavioral Health Environments: Critical Considerations for Facility Design

Author(s): Shepley, M. M., Watson, A., Pitts, F., Garrity, A., Spelman, E., Kelkar, J., Fronsman, A.
Mental and behavioral health (MBH) facilities are being built and renovated at an increasing rate, but research concerning best building practices has not kept pace with construction. Evidence-based design (EBD) involves the use of research to help multidisciplinary design teams create the most appropriate built environments.
Key Point Summary
Added July 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

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

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

The Business Case for Building Better Neonatal Intensive Care Units

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.
Key Point Summary
Added January 2016

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

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

Ergonomics in Healthcare Facility Design, Part 1: Patient Care Areas

Author(s): Stichler, J. F., Feiler, J. L.
Added December 2015

The role of noise in clinical environments with particular reference to mental health care: A narrative review

Author(s): Brown, B., Rutherford, P., Crawford, P.
The problem of noise in healthcare environments has been discussed in a variety of contexts, including psychology, sociology, built environment studies, and nursing. It has been well documented that the element of noise within clinical settings can elevate stress, impede recovery, and disturb sleep. But despite the extensive literature discussing the effects of noise in clinical settings, scarcely any research has been done on the role noise plays in mental healthcare environments.
Key Point Summary
Added October 2015

Finding a Middle Ground: Exploring the Impact of Patient- and Family-Centered Design on Nurse–Family Interactions in the Neuro ICU

Author(s): Rippin, A. S., Zimring, C., Samuels, O., Denham, M. E.
Added September 2015

Impact of the Design of Neonatal Intensive Care Units on Neonates, Staff, and Families: A Systematic Literature Review

Author(s): Shahheidari, M., Homer, C.
The authors indicate that the design of NICUs incorporating single family rooms as evidence indicates this room type contributes to the better development of babies, facilitates increased parental involvement in care, controls infection, and reduces noise and length of stay.
Key Point Summary
Added July 2015

Part 1: Evidence-Based Facility Design Using Transforming Care at the Bedside Principles

Author(s): Devine, D. A., Wenger, B., Krugman, M., Zwink, J. E., Shiskowsky, K., Hagman, J., Limon, S., Sanders, C., Reeves, C.
A western academic hospital reexamined its design strategy when after three years of building a new facility they had to plan for a new facility to meet their patient capacity. Using a combination of the principles of Transforming Care at the Bedside (TCAB) and Evidence-Based Design (EBD), an interdisciplinary team presented design recommendations.
Key Point Summary
Added April 2015

Realizing improved patient care through human-centered operating room design: A human factors methodology for observing flow disruptions in the cardiothoracic operating room

Author(s): Palmer, G., Abernathy, J. H., Swinton, G., Allison, D., Greenstein, J., Shappell, S., Juang, K., Reeves, S. T.
The authors indicate that disruptions in the workflow of surgeries can extend surgery times and contribute to the escalation of healthcare costs.
Key Point Summary
Added March 2015