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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 27

The Role of the Physical Environment in the Hospital of the 21st Century: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity

Author(s): Ulrich, R. S., Zimring, C., Quan, X., Joseph, A., Choudhary, R.
Added December 2022

Small-scale living environments' impact on positive behaviors and quality of life for residents with dementia

Author(s): Brennan, S., Doan, T.
Added February 2022

Operating room nurses’ experiences of limited access to daylight in the workplace – a qualitative interview study

Author(s): Golvani, J., Roos, L., Henricson, M.
Artificial light can result in headaches, fatigue, and decreased eyesight. Lack of natural daylight can cause vitamin D deficiency, sleep difficulty, and mood and memory changes, including depression. Surgical nurses spend long hours in windowless environments, under artificial lights, with few opportunities to go outside during work.
Key Point Summary
Added November 2021

A regional survey on residents’ preferences on patient-centered medical home design in rural areas

Author(s): Cai, H., Spreckelmeyer, K., Mendenhall, A., Li, D., Holmes, C., Levy, M.
The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) is a delivery model for primary care that is characterized by the recognition of unique patient needs while providing accessible services, a focus on safety and quality, comprehensive care, and coordinated care.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2018

Effects of an Assisted Living Facility Specifically Designed for Individuals with Memory Disorders: A Pilot Study

Author(s): Springate, B. A., Talwar, A. K., Tremont, G.
A 2007 study estimated that 14% of individuals over the age of 71 have dementia, and many of those individuals require some level of support with daily life. Furthermore, many of these individuals eventually move to assisted living (AL) facilities or nursing homes as they begin to require more assistance. Many people choose AL facilities due to pricing or the desire to be assisted rather than nursed. Previous studies have indicated that the physical environment of nursing homes can influence the overall well-being of residents with dementia. However, relatively few studies have assessed the effects of AL facility environments on the well-being of dementia patients.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2016

Impact of Neonatal Intensive Care Bed Configuration on Rates of Late-Onset Bacterial Sepsis and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Colonization

Author(s): Julian, S., Burnham, C.-A., Sellenriek, P., Shannon, W. D., Hamvas, A., Tarr, P. I., Warner, B. B.
Late-onset infections are a continuing issue, causing notable levels of morbidity and mortality in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), while also increasing the length of patient stay and financial burdens on healthcare institutions. Few previous studies have tested the hypothesis that infants in single-patient rooms have a lower risk of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization, late-onset sepsis, and death.
Key Point Summary
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

Meeting the Needs of Visually Impaired People Living in Lifetime Homes

Author(s): Rooney, C., Hadjri, K., Rooney, M., Faith, V., McAllister, K., Craig, C.
Lifetime Homes standards (LTHS) are a group of mandatory public-sector housing design interventions used in the U.K. They attempt to provide a model that ensures adaptable and accessible homes for the entire duration of an occupant’s stay. Changes in one’s physical environment, much like the ones implemented by LTHS, could help reduce the impact of disabilities such as visual impairment, and could help give patients different degrees of communal living with some level of independence.
Key Point Summary
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

Impact of healthcare design on patients’ perception of a rheumatology outpatient infusion room: an interventional pilot study

Author(s): Bukh, G., Tommerup, A. M. M., Madsen, O. R.
Evidence-based healthcare design is a concept aimed at reducing stress factors in the physical environment for the benefit of patients and the medical staff. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of room modifications on patients’ perception of an outpatient infusion room used for treating rheumatologic diseases. Patient and nurse interviews, a staff workshop and field...
Key Point Summary
Added December 2015

Measuring the Use of Examination Room Time in Oncology Clinics: A Novel Approach to Assessing Clinic Efficiency and Patient Flow

Author(s): Hamel, L. M., Chapman, R., Eggly, S., Penner, L. A., Tkatch, R., Vichich, J., Albrecht, T. L.
Inefficient use of time can drain resources and impede effective clinic flow. Long wait times in oncology units often result in higher costs for both caregivers and patients, while patients also tend to experience increased stress and reduced overall satisfaction with their treatment. Long wait times have also been shown to directly and indirectly reduce patient adherence to recommended treatments.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2015

Intensive care unit design and mortality in trauma patients

Author(s): Pettit, N. R., Wood, T., Lieber, M., O'Mara, M. S.
A primary concern for many patient care units is the question of where to place more seriously ill patients within the space that is available. Questions regarding the impact of architectural features, such as the availability of natural lighting, or adjacency to nurse stations on patient health outcomes should be further explored so that increasingly effective healthcare environments can be established. Currently, no data exist demonstrating whether trauma patients receiving treatment in intensive care unit (ICU) beds with poor visibility from a central nursing station experience health outcomes different from those in rooms that may be more visible from the nursing station.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2015

Network of Spaces and Interaction-Related Behaviors in Adult Intensive Care Units

Author(s): Rashid, M., Boyle, D. K., Crosser, M.
Using three spatial network measures of “space syntax”, this correlational study describes four interaction-related behaviors among three groups of users in relation to visibility and accessibility of spaces in four adult intensive care units (ICUs) of different size, geometry, and specialty. Systematic field observations of interaction-related behaviors show significant differences in spatial distribution of interaction-related behaviors in the ICUs.
Key Point Summary
Added November 2015

Impact of NICU design on environmental noise

Author(s): Szymczak, S. E., Shellhaas, R. A.
Literature shows that preterm infants can be adversely affected by sounds in a hospital. Yet completely quiet environments may potentially limit a much-needed exposure to language. This presents a challenge to designing an optimal sound environment in NICUs. This study examined the acoustic variance in open bay and single room NICUs and found that there was little variability in the acoustic environment of the two NICU models. It also found that the single room NICU had longer periods of silence than the open bay NICU.
Key Point Summary
Added July 2015

A companionship between strangers – the hospital environment as a challenge in patient–patient interaction in oncology wards

Author(s): Larsen, L. S., Larsen, B. H., Birkelund, R.
The authors allude to existing literature indicating the healing and therapeutic effect of hospital environments and the increasing evidence between healthcare environments and patient outcomes. In this study the authors explore through observations and interviews of patients how the hospital environment impacts the interaction between hospitalized cancer patients.
Key Point Summary
Added May 2015

Developing a multi-systemic fall prevention model, incorporating the physical environment, the care process and technology: A systematic review

Author(s): Choi, Y.-S., Lawler, E., Boenecke, C. A., Ponatoski, E. R., Zimring, C. M.
Falls are the most frequently reported negative events in hospitals in the United States and other countries, and about one-third of them result in injury of some type. Injury from falls can result in increased hospital stays, increased costs and litigation, among other problems. The authors reviewed the literature on falls, fall injuries, fall risk factors, and interventions to better understand the effectiveness of different methods for fall prevention in hospital settings.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2014

Job Satisfaction and Intention to Quit Among Nursing Home Nursing Staff: Do Special Care Units Make a Difference?

Author(s): Robison, J., Pillemer, K.
Research regarding the impact of special care units (SCUs) on the experience of staff provides a somewhat inconsistent picture. Several studies have examined the effect on staff of working in a facility that has an SCU without including a comparison with staff who work on conventional units. These studies have found generally positive results, including lower turnover among nurses. Despite the promise of SCUs, the degree to which they differ in important outcomes from conventional nursing home care has not been firmly established. Some comparative studies have found no clear differences in resident outcomes for SCUs.
Key Point Summary
Added November 2014

A controlled evaluation of comprehensive geriatric assessment in the emergency department: the ‘Emergency Frailty Unit’

Author(s): Conroy, S. P., Ansari, K., Williams, M., Laithwaite, E., Teasdale, B., Dawson, J., Mason, S., Banerjee, J.
Referring to data from emergency departments (EDs) in England, the authors infer that as the number of elderly grow, so does their number attending emergency departments. The data also shows that almost 62% of seniors (80 years and over) visiting EDs in England are transferred to hospitals for further treatment. Literature indicates that such transfers result in increased use of resources, higher risk of adverse events, longer stays, and higher rates of readmission and use of long-term facilities.
Key Point Summary
Added November 2014

Quality of life and building design in residential and nursing homes for older people

Author(s): Parker, C., Barnes, S., McKee, K., Morgan, K., Torrington, J., Tregenza, P.
Older people living in residential and nursing care homes spend a large proportion of their time within the boundaries of the home, and may depend on the environment to compensate for their physical or cognitive frailties. Regulations and guidelines on the design of care buildings have accumulated over time with little knowledge of their impact on the quality of life of building users. The Design...
Key Point Summary
Added September 2014

Quality of life of residents with dementia in traditional versus small-scale long-term care settings: a quasi-experimental study

Author(s): de Rooij, A. H. P. M., Luijkx, K. G., Schaafsma, J., Declercq, A. G., Declercq, A. G., Emmerink, P. M. J., Schols, J. M. G. A.
Due to the rapid increase in the number of people suffering from dementia worldwide, more residential care is greatly needed. Traditionally, residential dementia care has been carried out with a medical- and nursing-based care approach, which has been criticized for focusing mainly on the care aspects. Experts argue that dementia care should also pay attention to creating the environment that offers a better balance between living, well-being, and care. In an effort for better balance, small-scale living facilities for older persons have been developed. However, limited research has been done to identify their impact on quality of life of residents.
Key Point Summary
Added May 2014