The relationship between birth unit design and safe, satisfying birth: Developing a hypothetical model
2010
Midwifery
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 26
Pages 520-525
Author(s): Foureur, M., Davis, D., Fenwick, J., Leap, N., Iedema, R., Forbes, I., Homer, C. S. E.
The authors assert that just as the designed environment can impact health outcomes by disrupting effective communication and increasing patient and staff stress, it can also impact the experiences and outcomes for birthing women.
Added December 2014
Hospital design and face-to-face interaction among clinicians: a theoretical model
2009
Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 2
Pages 62-84
Author(s): Rashid, M.
Current research focusing on collaboration between medical professionals has shown the importance of face-to-face interactions on patient and staff outcomes. However, most strategies for increasing these interactions among clinicians have focused on operational changes that are intended to facilitate a cultural change within the organization. This research looks to examine how the physical design of a healthcare facility can create opportunities for face-to-face interactions between clinicians through spatial programs and structure.
Added November 2014
Why do patients in acute care hospitals fall? Can falls be prevented?
2009
Journal of Nursing Administration
Journal Article
Issue 6
Volume 39
Pages 299-304
Author(s): Dykes, P. C., Carroll, D. L., Hurley, A. C., Benoit, A., Middleton, B.
Despite a large quantitative evidence base for guiding fall risk assessment and not needing highly technical, scarce, or expensive equipment to prevent falls, falls are serious problems in hospitals.
Added November 2014
Applying root cause analysis to improve patient safety: decreasing falls in postpartum women.
2010
Quality & Safety in Health Care
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 19
Pages 138-143
Author(s): Chen, K. H., Chen, L. R., Su, S.
The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of interventions to prevent falls designed through hazard analysis using root cause analysis.
Added November 2014
NICU redesign from open ward to private room: A longitudinal study of parent and staff perceptions
2013
Journal of Perinatology
Journal Article
Issue 6
Volume 33
Pages 466-469
Author(s): Swanson, J. R., Peters, C., Lee, B. H.
For the past 20 years, floor plans incorporating single-patient room designs have been growing in popularity, especially in the context of neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). The differences between private-room (PR) floor plans and open-ward (OW) floor plans have been thoroughly studied, with previous research showing how OW NICUs can limit privacy and generate other negative environmental effects for patients and family members.
Added November 2014
The effects of physical environments in medical wards on medication communication processes affecting patient safety
2014
Health & Place
Journal Article
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.
Added November 2014
Creating spaces in intensive care for safe communication: a video-reflexive ethnographic study
2014
BMJ Quality & Safety
Journal Article
Author(s): Hor, S.-Y., Iedema, R., Manias, E.
According to the authors, the design of the built environment is a relatively recent foray for patient safety research. They refer to different research studies that report that the physical environment of healthcare facilities affects patient safety.
Added November 2014
An exploration of the meanings of space and place in acute psychiatric care
2006
Issues in Mental Health Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 6
Volume 27
Pages 699-707
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.
Added November 2014
Provider Communication and Role Modeling Related to Patients' Perceptions and Use of a Federally Qualified Health Center-based Farmers' Market
2014
Health promotion practice
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 15
Pages 288-297
Author(s): Friedman, D. B., Freedman, D. A., Choi, S. K., Anadu, E. C., Brandt, H. M., Carvalho, N., Hurley, T.G., Young, V. M., Hebert, J. R.
Added November 2014
It’s the Writing on the Wall: Whiteboards Improve Inpatient Satisfaction With Provider Communication
2011
American Journal of Medical Quality
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 26
Pages 127-131
Author(s): Singh, S., Fletcher, K. E., Pandl, G. J., Schapira, M. M., Nattinger, A. B., Biblo, L. A., Whittle, J.
Communication in hospitals between caregivers and patients is important for patient satisfaction. Inpatients frequently say they are not well informed and report their dissatisfaction.
Added November 2014
Patients' experience of important factors in the healthcare environment in oncology care
2013
International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being
Journal Article
Author(s): Browall, M., Koinberg, I., Falk, H., Wijk, H.
Psychological stress can be caused by the healthcare system and especially for patients with cancer in oncology clinics. How patients perceive their healthcare environment was found to have an impact on their well-being.
Added November 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
Effect of intensive care environment on family and patient satisfaction: a before–after study
2013
Intensive Care Medicine
Journal Article
Issue 9
Volume 39
Pages 1626-1634
Author(s): Jongerden, I. P., Slooter, A. J., Peelen, L. M., Wessels, H., Ram, C. M., Kesecioglu, J., Schneider, M. M., van Dijk, D.
Intensive care units or ICUs are changing from multi-bed units to single-patient room units. According to the authors, these changes may have an impact on family satisfaction. With the patient often in a critical non-communicative position, it falls on family members to make decisions and evaluate satisfaction.
Added November 2014
Does proper design of an intensive care unit affect compliance with isolation practices?
2011
Critical Care Nursing Quarterly
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 34
Pages 36-45
Author(s): Rodriguez, M., Ford, D., Adams, S.
This article tackles these questions, as well as looks at the importance of end-user input to renovation and construction healthcare projects.
Added November 2014
Effect of morning bright light treatment for rest-activity disruption in institutionalized patients with severe alzheimer's disease
2005
International Psychogeriatrics
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 17
Pages 221–236
Author(s): Dowling, G. A., Hubbard, E. M., Mastick, J., Luxenberg, J. S., Burr, R. L., Van Someren, E. J. W.
Studies suggest that exposure to light of adequate intensity and duration at the proper time of day can be associated with a positive improvement in the quality and duration of sleep. Since institutional environments tend to have very low light levels, residents may not be exposed to enough bright light to entrain the circadian clock to the 24-hour day. In particular, bright light treatment has been shown to improve sleep–wake cycle disturbances in some Alzheimer’s disease (AD) subjects.
Added September 2014
Reducing Falls in a Definitive Observation Unit: An Evidence-Based Practice Institute Consortium Project
2008
Critical Care Nursing Quarterly
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 31
Pages 127-139
Author(s): Gutierrez, F., Smith, K.
A Definitive Observation Unit (DOU) in a hospital in California maintains high standards of nursing and follows an evidence-based practice of fall prevention. Yet the facility’s fall rates continue to be higher than the benchmark for similar hospitals.
Added September 2014
When the World Is Closing In: Effects of Perceived Room Brightness and Communicated Threat During Patient-Physician Interaction
2013
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 7
Pages 37-53
Author(s): Okken, V., van Rompay, T., Pruyn, A.
Added September 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
