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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 48

A Recovery-Oriented Care Approach: Weighing the Pros and Cons of a Newly Built Mental Health Facility

Author(s): Ahern, C. C., Bieling, P., McKinnon, M. C., McNeely, H. E., Langstaff, K.
An inpatient mental health hospital was renovated with a newly built environment that incorporated patient-centered, clinically informed designs in an attempt to improve overall safety and quality of care. The new designs were considerably expensive and had extensive design implications for other parts of the hospital outside of the mental health facility.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2016

Ebola Holding Units at government hospitals in Sierra Leone: evidence for a flexible and effective model for safe isolation, early treatment initiation, hospital safety and health system functioning

Author(s): Johnson, O., Youkee, D., Brown, C. S., Lado, M., Wurie, A., Bash-Taqi, D., Hall, A., Hanciles, E., Kamara, I., Kamara, C., Kamboz, A., Seedat, A., Thomas, S., Kamara, T. B., Leather, A. J. M., Kargbo, B.
The outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in West Africa during 2014-2015 was an unprecedented modern crisis that required novel approaches to outbreak containment and management. In response, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS) and the King’s Sierra Leone Partnership (KSLP) in Freetown, Sierra Leone, worked to develop and implement five new Ebola Holding Units (EHUs) in government hospitals, which successfully isolated 37% of the 3,097 confirmed EVD cases within the country’s Western Urban and Rural district.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2016

Performance Evaluation of 32 LEED Hospitals on Operation Costs

Author(s): Sadatsafavi, H., Shepley, M. M.
As healthcare needs increase, providers strive to reduce operational costs while simultaneously increasing healthcare facility construction and renovation efforts. At the same time, certification programs such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) are examples of the emerging concerns regarding the environmental impact of healthcare facilities. The authors note that the number of studies documenting the benefits of more “green” facilities is limited; however, they hypothesize that upon comparing LEED-certified hospitals with uncertified ones, the LEED facilities will prove to have lower-than-average maintenance costs.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2016

Analysis of Credits Earned by LEED Healthcare Certified Facilities

Author(s): Golbazi, M., Aktas, C. B.
Green buildings have garnered widespread public support due to the positive impacts they are perceived to have on the environment, the economy, and society as a whole. The concept of green building design appeals to institutions because of its potential benefit for the indoor and outdoor environment as well as its potential for improving public image. As a result, there may be hospitals that become certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system but aren’t actually providing a green healthcare environment that positively influences patients and their periods of recovery. This is an important distinction since the core purpose of healthcare facilities is to improve the conditions of the sick and vulnerable, as well as society overall.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2016

Understanding Green Building Design and Healthcare Outcomes: Evidence-Based Design Analysis of an Oncology Unit

Author(s): Campion, N., Thiel, C. L., Focareta, J., Bilec, M. M.
The United States healthcare industry is a major part of the economy as well as a significant contributor to carbon dioxide emissions and other environmental issues. Green building design (GBD) attempts to offset environmental impacts of buildings, and recently designers have been combining GBD with evidence-based design (EBD) in order to create facilities that positively impact both the external and internal environment.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2016

Route complexity and simulated physical ageing negatively influence wayfinding

Author(s): Zijlstra, E., Hagedoorn, M., Krijnen, W. P., van der Schans, C. P., Mobach, M. P.
In this study, “wayfinding” is defined as determining and following a path or route between an origin and a destination. Wayfinding can be particularly difficult in complex and sometimes stressful environments like hospitals, and as hospitals continue to expand to meet increasing healthcare demands, their layouts face the possibility of becoming more difficult to navigate. Wayfinding is particularly difficult for the elderly, who may have memory issues and weakened physical abilities. Support from the environment is necessary to help elderly people function at their best, so it is important to understand what elements of the designed environment either benefit or confuse them.
Key Point Summary
Added May 2016

The Creation of a Biocontainment Unit at a Tertiary Care Hospital: The Johns Hopkins Medicine Experience

Author(s): Garibaldi, B. T., Kelen, G. D., Brower, R. G., Bova, G., Ernst, N., Reimers, M., Langlotz, R., Gimburg, A., Iati, M., Smith, C., MacConnell, S., James, H., Lewin, J. J., Trexler, P., Black, M. A., Lynch, C., Clarke, W., Marzinke, M. A., Sokoll, L. J., Carroll, K. C., Parish, N. M., Dionne, K., Biddison, E. L. D., Gwon, H. S., Sauer, L., Hill, P., Newton, S. M., Garrett, M. R., Miller, R. G., Perl, T. M., Maragakis, L. L.
Prior to the 2014 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa, the United States had only one to three specialized biocontainment units. Once the EVD crisis began, a group of reputable American healthcare institutions worked together to renovate a deactivated clinical space into a functioning biocontainment unit (BCU).
Key Point Summary
Added April 2016

The Impact of a Flexible Care Area on Throughput Measures in an Academic Emergency Department

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.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2015

Ready-JET-Go: Split Flow Accelerates ED Throughput

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.
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

Energy Efficiency in Hospitals: Historical Development, Trends and Perspectives

Author(s): Papadopoulos, A. M., Boemi, S.-N., Irulegi, O., Santamouris, M.
Added December 2015

A hierarchical facility layout planning approach for large and complex hospitals

Author(s): Helber, S., Böhme, D., Oucherif, F., Lagershausen, S., Kasper, S.
Added November 2015

The effects of physical environments in medical wards on medication communication processes affecting patient safety

Author(s): Liu, W., Manias, E., Gerdtz, M.
The physical environment of a hospital has a wide range of effects on the quality of care administered to patients. In the context of medication distribution, seamless communication among healthcare professionals of different backgrounds is imperative, and in many cases the physical environment itself can have positive or negative effects on this complex process.
Key Point Summary
Added November 2014

Designing Safety-Net Clinics for Flexibility

Author(s): Taylor, E., Joseph, A., Keller, A., Quan, X.
Added October 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

Life Safety Code Comparison

Author(s): Crowley, M. A., Harper, J. E.
Added May 2014

Physical Environment: The Major Determinant Towards the Creation of a Healing Environment?

Author(s): Abbas, M. Y., Ghazali, R.,
Prior research suggests that the pediatric population’s heightened perception of the quality of the physical environment can have an impact on the creation of a healing environment.
Key Point Summary
Added April 2014

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

Synthesis of new methods for sustainable roadside landscapes

Author(s): Jones, K., Storey, B., Jasek, D., Sai, J.
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