Low stimulus environments: reducing noise levels in continuing care
2016
BMJ Quality Improvement Reports
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 5
Pages 1-4
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).
Added November 2016
Surface Finish Materials: Considerations for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
2016
Newborn and Infant Nursing Reviews
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 16
Pages 203-207
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.
Added September 2016
Acoustical standards and criteria documentation of sustainability in hospital design and construction
Author(s): Evans, J., Himmel, C.
Added June 2016
Achieving the acoustical credit within the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) for healthcare green building rating system and changes within the forthcoming 2014 Guidelines
Author(s): Horan, Daniel M., Latour, J.-F.
Added June 2016
Understanding Green Building Design and Healthcare Outcomes: Evidence-Based Design Analysis of an Oncology Unit
2016
Journal of Architectural Engineering
Journal Article
Author(s): Campion, N., Thiel, C. L., Focareta, J., Bilec, M. M.
The United States healthcare industry is a major part of the economy as well as a significant contributor to carbon dioxide emissions and other environmental issues. Green building design (GBD) attempts to offset environmental impacts of buildings, and recently designers have been combining GBD with evidence-based design (EBD) in order to create facilities that positively impact both the external and internal environment.
Added June 2016
Sleep in Hospitalized Elders: A Pilot Study
2012
Geriatric Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 31
Pages 263-172
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.
Added January 2016
Implications of the emergency department triage environment on triage practice for clients with a mental illness at triage in an Australian context
2014
Australasian Emergency Nursing Journal
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 17
Pages 23-29
Author(s): Broadbent, M., Moxham, L., Dwyer, T.
Emergency departments (EDs) in Australia have been seeing an increase in recent years in the number of patients presenting with mental illness. This study aims to determine if the triage environment of the ED influences the triage practice of ED nurses. Using an ethnographic approach, the research found that ED nurses felt that triaging mentally ill patients in an area that is very public, noisy, and lacks privacy can impact their ability to effectively conduct assessments and manage patients.
Added October 2015
Psychiatric Ward Renovation: Staff Perception and Patient Behavior
1992
Environment and Behavior
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 24
Pages 66-84
Author(s): Devlin, A. S.
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
2009
Environment and Behavior
Journal Article
Issue 6
Volume 41
Pages 755-786
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.
Added April 2014
Nurses’ Perception of Single-Occupancy Versus Multioccupancy Rooms in Acute Care Environments: An Exploratory Comparative Assessment
2006
Applied Nursing Research
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 19
Pages 118-125
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.
Added April 2014
Sleep and the sleep environment of older adults in acute care settings
2008
Journal of Gerontological Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 6
Volume 34
Pages 15-21
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.
Added January 2014
Environmental Noise Sources and Interventions to Minimize Them: A Tale of Two Hospitals
2008
Journal of Nursing Care Quality
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 23
Pages 216-224
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.
Added January 2014
Children’s Experience Regarding the Quality of Their Hospital Stay: The Development of an Assessment Questionnaire for Children
2011
Journal of Nursing Care Quality
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 26
Pages 364-370
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.
Added December 2013
Critical Issues in Healthcare Environments
Author(s): Cohen, Uriel , Allison, David
Added October 2012
Guidelines for community noise
1999
Protection of the Human Environment
Report
Author(s): Berglund, B., Lindvall, T., Schwela, D.H., Goh, T.K.
Added October 2012
The healing environment in our communities and healthcare settings: research excellence into practice
2005
Clinical Medicine
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 5
Pages 296-8
Author(s): Craft, N.
Added October 2012
The Road Ahead: The Need to Clarify and Re-Conceptualize Healing Environments
2007
Environmental Design Research Association
Conference Proceedings
Author(s): Kuo, N., Hui, C.
Added October 2012
