Environmental Correlates of Safety and Efficiency in Emergency Departments
Author(s): Pati, D., Harvey, T. E., Vincent, D., Evans, J., Pati, S., Bazuin, D., Derr, M. A.
Whether from professional or governmental institutions or from the popular press, stories abound of the challenges EDs (emergency departments) face (Berger, 2006). Every day, EDs have to treat an ever-rising number of patients coming through their doors, many of whom have highly complex conditions.
Added April 2018
From the nurses' station to the health team hub: How can design promote interprofessional collaboration?
2012
Journal of Interprofessional Care
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 26
Pages 21-27
Author(s): Gum, Lyn Frances, Prideaux, David, Sweet, Linda, Greenhill, Jennene
The nurses’ station serves a diverse array of purposes, one being that it acts as a space for communication and interprofessional collaboration. Previous studies have shown that the design of the nurses’ station alone can impact aspects of patient and staff privacy, walking distance, and access to resources. But no known studies prior to this paper have examined specifically the influence of nurse station design on the frequency and quality of interprofessional practice.
Added June 2016
Making acuity-adaptable units work: lessons from the field
2012
Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 5
Pages 115-128
Author(s): Zimring, C., Seo, H.
Acuity-Adaptable Units (AAUs) are rooms with a treatment model that allows all stages of patient care to come to the patient’s unit from the time of admission to discharge. Minimizing the amount of patient transfers helps decrease medication errors, infection rates, and medical complications. This helps avoid injuries and infections connected with patient transfers from unit to unit through transitions in stages 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
Impact of the Design of Neonatal Intensive Care Units on Neonates, Staff, and Families: A Systematic Literature Review
2012
The Journal of Perinatal & Neonatal Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 26
Pages 267-268
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.
Added July 2015
Designing for distractions: a human factors approach to decreasing interruptions at a centralised medication station
2012
BMJ Quality & Safety
Journal Article
Issue 11
Volume 21
Pages 939-947
Author(s): Colligan, L., Guerlain, S., Steck, S. E., Hoke, T. R.
According to the authors, literature indicates that interruptions during the administration of medication in healthcare settings can lead to errors, and that such errors are likely to cause more harm in pediatric settings. The medication station in the study hospital is centrally located with an open design targeted to reduce nurse walking and increase time with patients.
Added December 2014
Out of Sight, Out of Reach. Correlating spatial metrics of nurse station typology with nurses’ communication and co ‐ awareness in an intensive care unit
Author(s): Cai, H., Zimring, C.
Added November 2014
The Effect of Hospital Unit Layout on Nurse Walking Behavior
2012
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 6
Pages 66-82
Author(s): Yi, L., Seo, H.-B.
Over the course of a typical shift, nurses spend a lot of time on their feet, walking back and forth on the unit to take care of patients' needs. The long distances that nurses walk is a topic of concern in the industry. Some believe it may potentially impact the amount of time spent with patients and also because of the physical toll on nurses, day after day. Researchers are attempting to understand whether unit layout and design might be revised to reduce walking distances and create efficiencies that enhance patient care.
Added September 2014
The Environment of Inpatient Healthcare Delivery and Its Influence on the Outcome of Care
2012
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 6
Pages 104-116
Author(s): O'Connor, M., O'Brien, A., Bloomer, M., Morphett, J., Peters, L., Hall, H., Parry, A., Recoche, K., Lee, S., Munro, I.
There is a growing body of evidence demonstrating that in all healthcare settings, the design of discipline-specific space can influence patients and their health outcomes. The contribution of the physical environment to quality of life and well-being is also supported. Healthcare delivery has changed over the last three decades; however, the authors note that some ICUs and emergency departments have not fully adapted to these changes, whereas palliative care and women’s health have adapted to include more family involvement and patient-driven changes. Environments such as labor and delivery units have benefitted from active consumer involvement in design.
Added September 2014
Factors Impeding Flexible Inpatient Unit Design
2012
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 6
Pages 83-103
Author(s): Pati, D., Evans, J., Harvey, T. E., Bazuin, D.
The physical environment can have a significant impact on operational efficiencies within healthcare environments. In an era of cost curtailment, design interventions that can provide maximum flexibility will become increasingly necessary. Following a 2006 study that identified domains within the design process that affect flexibility within acute care inpatient units, researchers wanted to understand whether domains external to the design process could influence the successful optimization of flexibility within the same environment.
Added September 2014
Effects of Nursing Unit Spatial Layout on Nursing Team Communication Patterns, Quality of Care, and Patient Safety
2012
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 6
Pages 8-38
Author(s): Hua, Y., Becker, F., Wurmser, T., Bliss-Holtz, J., Hedges, C.
A number of studies have looked at the impact of different types of healthcare staff communication on patient outcomes, as communication and collaboration are crucial for patient care. One topic that is starting to be studied but requires more research is the effect of nursing unit layout and design on nurse communication. While traditionally nursing units have a centralized layout with one main nursing station used by all staff in the unit, more recently there has been movement toward other types of layouts in an attempt to impact patient care.
Added September 2014
Infection Prevention Promotion Program Based on the PRECEDE Model: Improving Hand Hygiene Behaviors Among Healthcare Personnel
2012
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 33
Pages 144-151
Author(s): Aboumatar, H., Ristaino, P., Davis, R. O., Thompson, C. B., Maragakis, L., Cosgrove, S., Rosenstein, B., Perl, T. M.
Hand hygiene is critical to prevent transmission of multidrug-resistant organisms and the development of healthcare-associated infections, yet compliance with recommendations is poor.
Added August 2014
Suicide Attempts and Completions in the Emergency Department in Veterans Affairs Hospitals
2012
Emergency Medicine Journal
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 29
Pages 399-403
Author(s): Mills, P. D., Watts, B. V., DeRosier, J. M., Tomolo, A. M., Bagian, J. P.
Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States, and approximately 1,500 suicides occur in inpatient hospital units in the United States each year, This study examines the specific environmental factors involved in suicide attempts and completions in an ED in a large, nationally represented hospital sample (VA).
Added May 2014
Practice Environments of Nurses in Ambulatory Oncology Settings: A Thematic Analysis
2012
Cancer Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 35
Pages E1-E7
Author(s): Kamimura, A., Schneider, K., Lee, C. S., Crawford, S. D., Friese, C. R.
The working environments for nurses in inpatient settings have been studied extensively, but little is known about ambulatory locations. Yet, according to National Center for Health Statistics, 19 million of the 23 million annual visits for chemotherapy occur in ambulatory centers. Therefore, research in this area could contribute to better nursing outcomes and patient care.
Added January 2014
Bathing people with dementia: when education is not enough
2012
Journal of Gerontological Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 9
Volume 38
Pages 43-51
Author(s): Gaspard, G., Cox, L.
Dementia is increasing at the rate of one case every 7 seconds. As such, the need for methods for caring for these patients with dignity also increases. Current research indicates that many people with dementia respond negatively to bathing, in part because they don’t feel comfortable being naked in front of other people or with unfamiliar bathing equipment, and may develop resistant behaviors.
Added January 2014
