Accessing green spaces within a healthcare setting: A mixed studies review of barriers and facilitators
2019
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 12
Pages 199-140
Author(s): Weerasuriya, R., Henderson-Wilson, C., Townsend, M.
Many previous studies have described the benefits of natural environments (or “green spaces”) on overall human well-being. Healthcare providers have increasingly drawn attention to how green spaces within healthcare environments may positively affect both patients and staff.
Added December 2018
Post-Occupancy Evaluation of a Crisis Shelter Garden and Application of Findings Through the Use of a Participatory Design Process
2019
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 12
Pages 153-167
Author(s): Lygum, V. L., Poulsen, D. V., Djernis, D., Djernis, H. G., Sidenius, U., Stigsdotter, U. K.
As an increasing number of designers and healthcare practitioners utilize nature-based therapy tools, there is a growing need to understand how certain elements within these natural spaces might contribute to heightened therapeutic effects for patients with specific conditions. Crisis shelters that provide healthcare resources to women and children exposed to domestic abuse could benefit from nature-based therapy tools, but a deeper understanding of how these environments should be built is needed.
Added November 2018
Evaluation of hospital outdoor spaces through users’ participation analysis
2017
Facta Universitatis, Series: Architecture and Civil Engineering
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 15
Pages 73-84
Author(s): Djukanovic, Z., Maric, J., Giofrè, F.
Hospital outdoor spaces (HOS) have an important role in healthcare facilities that specifically impacts the healing process. Literature reviewed by the authors refers to HOS as left-over spaces for supporting other medical activities.
Added August 2017
A Recovery-Oriented Care Approach: Weighing the Pros and Cons of a Newly Built Mental Health Facility
2016
Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 54
Pages 39–48
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.
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
2016
BMJ Global Health
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 1
Pages 1-8
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.
Added June 2016
An Assessment of Levels of Safety in Psychiatric Units
2016
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 10
Pages 66-80
Author(s): Bayramzadeh, S.
As mental treatment facilities see increases in the number of patients seeking care, facilities face mounting pressure in their attempts to promote patient well-being and safety. The author suggests that there is a lack of systematic empirical studies that examine how the design of mental healthcare facilities contributes to patient care and safety.
Added September 2016
Security Implications of Physical Design Attributes in the Emergency Department
2016
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 9
Pages 50-63
Author(s): Pati, D., Pati, S., Harvey, T. E.
In this paper, the authors consider “security” a subset of “safety,” and note that security is imperative for providing efficient patient care, especially in emergency departments (EDs). Security is defined as the protection of people and property, while safety is defined as the broader concept of delivering patient care.
Added September 2016
Older Adults’ Outdoor Walking: Inequalities in Neighbourhood Safety, Pedestrian Infrastructure and Aesthetics
2016
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Journal Article
Issue 12
Volume 13
Pages 1-24
Author(s): Zandieh, R., Martinez, J., Flacke, J., Jones, P., van Maarseveen, M.
Added December 2016
Guidelines for the design of a healing garden for the rehabilitation of psychiatric patients
2015
Journal of Agricultural Engineering
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 46
Pages 43-51
Author(s): Erbino, C., Toccolini, A., Vagge, I., Ferrario, P. S.
Healing gardens can be defined as plant-populated areas designed to support and improve patient health and well-being. Previous studies have indicated that healing gardens are effective tools for improving physical and mental health in patients, families, and staff, ultimately leading to reduced care costs and general quality of life.
Added March 2018
The associations between objectively-determined and self-reported urban form characteristics and neighborhood-based walking in adults
2014
International journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 11
Pages 1
Author(s): Jack, E., McCormack, G. R.
Added August 2016
Preparing an ICU room to welcome a critically ill patient with Ebola virus disease
2014
Intensive Care Medicine
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 41
Pages 118-119
Author(s): Pasquier, P., Ficko, C., Mérens, A., Dubost, C.
Ebola virus disease is a viral hemorrhagic fever that spreads through direct contact with the body fluids of an infected animal or human. Contamination may also occur through contact with items that were recently contacted by infected bodily fluids. No spread of the disease through the air has been documented. As no specific treatment or vaccine for the virus is currently available, specially coordinated medical services are necessary to control outbreaks.
Added December 2015
Using Lean-Based Systems Engineering to Increase Capacity in the Emergency Department
2014
Western Journal of Emergency Medicine
Journal Article
Issue 7
Volume 15
Pages 770-776
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.
Added December 2015
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
Life Safety Code Comparison
2013
American Society for Healthcare Engineering
Journal Article
Author(s): Crowley, M. A., Harper, J. E.
Added May 2014
Contributions of Environment, Comorbidity, and Stage of Dementia to the Onset of Walking and Eating Disability in Long-Term Care Residents
2012
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Journal Article
Issue 9
Volume 60
Pages 1624-1631
Author(s): Slaughter, S. E., Hayduk, L. A.
Objectives To estimate the relative effects of environment, comorbidities, stage of dementia and other variables on disability onset. Design A 1-year prospective cohort study was conducted in which the walking and eating abilities of long-term care residents were observed fortnightly. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the contributions of individual and environmental factors to the...
Added September 2014
Designing Safety-Net Clinics for Flexibility
2011
California HealthCare Foundation
Report
Author(s): Taylor, E., Joseph, A., Keller, A., Quan, X.
Added October 2014
Using evidence-based environmental design to enhance safety and quality.
2009
IHI Innovation Series white paper
Electronic Article
Author(s): Sadler, B., Joseph, A., Keller, A., Rostenberg, B.
Added October 2012
The impact of health facilities on healthcare workers’ well-being and performance
2009
International Journal of Nursing Studies
Journal Article
Issue 7
Volume 46
Pages 1025–1034
Author(s): Rechel, B., Buchan, J., McKee, M.
There is extensive research on the effect of healthcare environments on patients. But much less is known about health facilities’ impact the staff, even while there is growing recognition of the need for healthy working environments. Poor healthcare working environments can relate to the nature of the work—long and antisocial hours, little administrative support, physical labor, and, sometimes, violence.
Added February 2014
Conveniently located “napping rooms” provide opportunity for night- and extended-shift providers to rest, leading to less fatigue and better performance.
2008, last updated October 23, 2013
US Department of Health and Human Services; AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) website
Journal Article
Author(s):
Healthcare providers are known for working unacceptably long hours and being chronically sleep deprived. Often, physicians and nurses work 24+ hour shifts, leading to fatigue and avoidable errors that put both caregivers and patients at risk of serious injury or death. Acute and chronic sleep deprivation can mimic the effects of drunkenness.
Added November 2014
Using Root Cause Analysis to Reduce Falls in Rural Health Care Facilities
2008
Advances in Patient Safety: New Directions and Alternative Approaches
Book
Author(s): Ruddick, P., Hannah, K., , Schade, C.P., Bellamy, G., Brehm, J., Lomely, D.
Added October 2012
