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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 - 13 of 13

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

Surface Finish Materials: Considerations for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

Author(s): Harris, D.
In this literature review, it is shown that a growing body of research has been focusing on how surface material finishes within neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) can contribute to the operational, clinical, and social aspects of health outcomes.
Key Point Summary
Added September 2016

Acoustical standards and criteria documentation of sustainability in hospital design and construction

Author(s): Evans, J., Himmel, C.
Added June 2016

Characteristics Associated with Low Food and Fluid Intake in Long-Term Care Residents with Dementia

Author(s): Reed, P.S., Zimmerman, S., Sloane, P.D, Williams, C. S., Boustani, M.
Research conducted on residents of different nursing homes shows that the older people who had been suffering with impaired mobility and cognition face serious malnutrition resulting from insufficient food intake and dehydration problems due to less consumption of fluid intake. The resident characteristics that contribute to food and fluid intake include cognitive status, ability to drink independently, and physical limitations such as difficulty swallowing.
Key Point Summary
Added January 2016

Sleep in Hospitalized Elders: A Pilot Study

Author(s): Missildine, K., Bergstrom, N., Meininger, J., Richards, K. & Foreman, M. D.
Sleep complaints are common among elders at home and in the hospital. These complaints include insomnia, difficulty falling sleep, and difficulty maintaining sleep, yet adequate sleep is commonly considered a necessary prerequisite to healing and recovery from illness.
Key Point Summary
Added January 2016

Functional Outcomes of Nursing Home Residents in Relation to Features of the Environment: Validity of the Professional Environmental Assessment Protocol

Author(s): Slaughter, S. E., Morgan, D. G.
Research conducted in different settings shows that specialized environments designed for people with dementia may reduce the rate of functional loss. Different measures have been developed to assess the nursing home environments focused on the features of specialized dementia units. Among them, the Professional Environmental Assessment Protocol (PEAP) was developed to assess the quality of dementia care environments on nine dimensions. Assessment involves subjective evaluation of the physical and social environment on a 5-point scale for each dimension.
Key Point Summary
Added September 2014

Applying human factors in improving medication-use safety

Author(s): Schneider,PJ.
In this descriptive study the author summarizes the highlights of an interactive conference on human factors (HF) and t applications to improve medication safety. The author describes the various human factors concepts and tools and their applications in reducing human errors, thus improving medication safety.
Key Point Summary
Added May 2014

The Effect of Environmental Design on Reducing Nursing Errors and Increasing Efficiency in Acute Care Settings: A Review and Analysis of the Literature

Author(s): Chaudhury, H., Mahmood, A., Valente, M.
In acute care settings, the physical environment plays an important role in staff efficiency and patient safety. Some research suggests that poor environments can result in staff stress, anxiety, and distractions due to noise; artificial lighting; improper or inadequate ventilation; and disorienting layouts of nursing units. There is less research on how environmental factors affect nursing staff health, effectiveness, errors, and job satisfaction.
Key Point Summary
Added April 2014

Nurses’ Perception of Single-Occupancy Versus Multioccupancy Rooms in Acute Care Environments: An Exploratory Comparative Assessment

Author(s): Chaudhury, H., Mahmood, A., Valente, M.
As people are living longer and the baby boomers age, the demand for hospital beds will increase. As new facilities are built to handle this influx of patients, the challenge for hospital designers and administrators is to design patient rooms that promote therapeutic goals, foster positive patient outcomes, and function as intensive care rooms. Recent research suggests that single-occupancy rooms are more suitable for infection control and patient care than multioccupancy rooms. However, no research has been done about nursing staff members’ perception of single-occupancy and multioccupancy patient rooms in acute care settings as it relates to patient care.
Key Point Summary
Added April 2014

Sleep and the sleep environment of older adults in acute care settings

Author(s): Missildine, K.
Not every patient has difficulty sleeping in an acute care setting, but it is common. Environmental factors, such as light and noise, can interfere with sleep, further compromising an existing sleep problem. Environmental light, considered a primary cue for setting the internal clock and maintaining normal day/night rhythms, is often different in acute care settings compared to home and may affect sleep.
Key Point Summary
Added January 2014

Environmental Noise Sources and Interventions to Minimize Them: A Tale of Two Hospitals

Author(s): Dube, J. A. O., Barth, M. M., Cmiel, C. A. , Cutshall, S. M. , Olson, S. M., Sulla, S. J., Nesbitt, J. C. , Sobczak, S. C., Holland, D. E.
Delivering patient care in a hospital is noisy. Yet research shows that noise interferes with the healing process and can disrupt the patient’s experience. Higher noise levels are linked to stress reaction; sleep disturbance; and increased heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension, creating an overarching issue that touches multiple disciplines and departments in the hospital.
Key Point Summary
Added January 2014

Children’s Experience Regarding the Quality of Their Hospital Stay: The Development of an Assessment Questionnaire for Children

Author(s): Chappuis, M., Vannay-Bouchiche, C.., Fluckiger, M., Monnier, M., Cathieni, F., Terra, R., Piot-Ziegler, C.
Pediatric care quality in Switzerland is evaluated mainly through the parents’ opinion. There are no assessment questionnaires for children. However, research indicates that often, what the parents think does not match their children’s evaluation of the quality of care and that they are often low to moderately correlated. This study examines on the development of a questionnaire assessing the satisfaction of children with their hospital stay.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2013

Guidelines for community noise

Author(s): Berglund, B., Lindvall, T., Schwela, D.H., Goh, T.K.
Added October 2012