× You are not currently logged in. To receive all the benefits our site has to offer, we encourage you to log in now.

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.

RESEARCH IN A SNAP HOW-TO VIDEOS  ADDITIONAL RESOURCES VIEW TOUR

Supported by:

Additional content by:

Sort by

Displaying 1 - 20 of 101

From stressful to mindful: Reactions to a proposed emergency department design for enhancing mindfulness and stress reduction among healthcare clinical staff

Author(s): Valipoor, S., Bosch, S. J., Chiu, L. Y. T.
Research demonstrates that clinician burnout is a significant issue, especially in high-stress areas like emergency departments (EDs). Intentionally designed environmental features may serve to promote clinician well-being and mollify work-related stress.
Key Point Summary
Added May 2023

Promoting mental health recovery by design: Physical, procedural, and relational security in the context of the mental health built environment

Author(s): Wilson, R. L., Hutton, A., Foureur, M.
Research shows that effective inpatient mental health care should include environments that are safe, purposeful, and stabilizing. Environments that foster physical security, support therapeutic interactions between users and systems, and promote procedural security can benefit patients, family members, and staff.
Key Point Summary
Added April 2023

The psychological impact of the workplace environment in critical care A qualitative exploration

Author(s): Grailey, K., Leon-Villapalos, C., Murray, E., Brett, S. J.
Researchers acknowledge the intersection of cultural and environmental elements of intensive care units and resulting staff perceptions of those elements. Single patient rooms, varying levels of visibility, and workflow issues are just a few of the environmental conditions that have an impact on clinical staff.
Key Point Summary
Added January 2023

Designing a cardiac intensive care unit by employing an evidence-based design approach

Author(s): Alansari, A., Quan, X.
Research shows that the design of the physical environment of cardiac intensive care units (CICUs) plays a significant role in patient outcomes, patient safety, and quality of care. Evidence-based design decisions further influence healthcare personnel well-being, such as reducing workplace injuries and workers’ compensation claims.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2022

The role of healthcare facility design on the mental health of healthcare professionals: A literature review

Author(s): Jin, H.-Y., Gold, C., Cho, J., Marzban, F., Lim, L.
Research demonstrates that burnout is prevalent in healthcare workers and has been associated with negative consequences for patients, staff, and organizations. To date, initiatives to mitigate burnout and support staff well-being do not fully utilize the built environment.
Key Point Summary
Added August 2022

The healthcare chapel: Improving well-being

Author(s): Lawson, A. E., Alfaro, S. A.
Chapels serve as a place for patients, families, and staff that foster well-being. Because chapels are used by people from a variety of faith groups, it is important they are designed to accommodate the well-being of those whose needs may not be represented in the functional requirements of a single religious denomination or faith.
Key Point Summary
Added July 2022

The healthcare workspace: Understanding the role of decentralized nursing stations, corridors, and huddle spaces as locations for teamwork in a neonatal intensive care unit

Author(s): Fay, L., Real, K., Haynes, S.
Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) host fragile and vulnerable patients. Research studies on NICUs with a single-family room (SFR) layout demonstrate benefits to both neonates and their parents but the impact on staff remains unclear. The decentralization associated with SFRs may impair teamwork.
Key Point Summary
Added June 2022

Impact of distance on stroke inpatients’ mobility in rehabilitation clinics: a shadowing study

Author(s): Kevdzija, M., Marquardt, G.
Failure to rehabilitate after experiencing a stroke frequently results in a patient’s admission to long-term care. There is a need to understand how size and spatial configuration of rehabilitation settings can support wayfinding and help patients overcome mobility barriers.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2021

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

Mental health outcome measures in environmental design research: A critical review

Author(s): Shin, J., Dennis, S., Mohammed, H.
While recent studies show a relationship between well-being and the built environment, few focus specifically on mental health. This study found that access to nature and other design elements of the built environment can improve positive affect (pleasurable feelings), vitality (energy or aliveness), executive functioning (memory, concentration), mood, and general well-being—while also decreasing cortisol (stress).
Key Point Summary
Added May 2021

Intensive care unit built environments: A comprehensive literature review (2005–2020)

Author(s): Verderber, S., Gray, S., Suresh-Kumar, S., Kercz, D., Parshuram, C.
ICUs have been extensively studied regarding the role of the built environment in issues of patient safety and infection control, patient-staff outcomes, and the interventional role of the physical environment. The results of this comprehensive literature review (2005-2020) demonstrate an increase in design of single-bed ICUs, increase in the engagement of families in the ICU experience, acknowledgement of improving caregiver well-being, performance through designing staff amenities, increased attention to the therapeutic role of exposure to nature and lighting, and increased pandemic concerns related to containment of the COVID-19 virus.
Key Point Summary
Added May 2021

Patients’ experiences of place and space after a relocation to evidence-based designed forensic psychiatric hospitals

Author(s): Olausson, S., Wijk, H., Berglund, I. J., Pihlgren, A., Danielson, E.
Literature shows that using evidence to inform decision making when designing healthcare settings can result in improved care outcomes. This research focuses on the purpose-built evidence-based design (EBD) of three forensic psychiatric hospitals.
Key Point Summary
Added May 2021

Staff perspectives on the role of physical environment in long-term care facilities on dementia care in Canada and Sweden

Author(s): Lee, S. Y., Hung, L., Chaudhury, H., Morelli, A.
Physical environment design interventions are used to benefit people with dementia living in care settings, but the influences on those providing care is unknown. Care settings that support care practices for people living with dementia have both positive and negative effects on social interaction and care practice.
Key Point Summary
Added April 2021

Influence of nature at the time of the pandemic: An experience-based survey at the time of SARS-CoV-2 to demonstrate how even a short break in nature can reduce stress for healthcare staff

Author(s): Gola, M., Botta, M., D’Aniello, A. L., Capolongo, S.
Time spent interacting with nature can improve well-being, promote healing, and decrease stress. This has shown up across cultures, ranging from ‘forest bathing’ in Japan, where patients are encouraged to spend time in nature to promote healing, to installing ‘healing gardens’ in healthcare environments to benefit healthcare staff.
Key Point Summary
Added March 2021

Complex projects assessment. The impact of built environment on healthcare staff wellbeing

Author(s): Brambilla, A., Morganti, A., Lindahl, G., Riva, A., Capolongo, S., Gervasi, O., Murgante, B., Misra, S., Garau, C., Blečić, I., Taniar, D., Apduhan, B. O., Rocha, A. M. A. C., Tarantino, E., Torre, C. M., Karaca, Y.
Added October 2020

Facilities for palliative care: Patterns and contrasts

Author(s): Martens, R. M. G., Lechner, S. C. M., Bruintjes, S. A. M., Roodbol, P. F., Mobach, M. P.
Palliative care aims to improve the quality of life for patients and families who face problems associated with life-threatening illnesses. Previous studies have found that facility designs which allow for patient and family privacy, overnight stays, a sense of homeliness, and space for spiritual practices can positively influence the delivery and perception of palliative care.
Key Point Summary
Added October 2020

Physical environments that support the mental health of staff and families in the NICU

Author(s): Shepley, M. M., Sachs, N. A.
NICU staff members and patient families are potentially psychologically challenged and/or experiencing high levels of stress. Built environment design interventions that support well-being in mental and behavioral health (MBH) settings may also be applicable to NICU environments.
Key Point Summary
Added September 2020

Family members´ experiences of the end-of-life care environments in acute care settings – a photo-elicitation study

Author(s): Hajradinovic, Y., Tishelman, C., Lindqvist, O., Goliath, I>
Research demonstrates that environmental features in varied healthcare settings can impact patient and staff outcomes. Room occupancy, acoustic environment, visual contact with nature, sound and lighting, ergonomics, and the work environment design are among the features with documented impacts on staff and patient health.
Key Point Summary
Added April 2020

Accessing green spaces within a healthcare setting: A mixed studies review of barriers and facilitators

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.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2018

Evaluating the Built Environment in Inpatient Psychiatric Wards

Author(s): Sheehan, B., Burton, E., Wood, S., Stride, C., Henderson, E., Wearn, E.
The authors allude to the dearth of research on the built environment in psychiatric wards and emphasize that the significance of the impact of the physical environment on the mental health and well-being of patients cannot be overlooked. This research involved examining the physical aspects of 98 psychiatric wards in urban and rural England and identifying those aspects associated with staff satisfaction.
Key Point Summary
Added October 2018