Health Environments Research & Design (HERD) Journal

Spring 2008 VOL. 1, NO. 3

Special Issue

This special issue features a guest editorial written by Craig Zimring and Jennifer R. DuBose.  The focus of this issue of the HERD Journal is on four sets of key questions that illuminate the practice and science of EBD. There are four papers in this issue.  Below are the summaries of each article. 

Implementing Healthcare Excellence: The Vital Role of the CEO in Evidence-based Design

This paper uses lessons learned from hospital leaders and the experience of the authors to create practical guidance for CEOs who want to use EBD as a tool to transform their organizations.  In addition to keys to success, the paper also discusses barriers to innovation and strategies for overcoming these barriers.  This paper provides a model for EBD that CEOs can use to create a facility that increases quality, safety, patient and family centeredness, revenue and reduces cost.

The Business Case for Building Better Hospitals Through Evidence-Based Design

This article describes the changes in healthcare that are affecting the bottom line and that will force hospital leaders to seek ways to improve safety and quality for patients, families and staff.  It offers examples of EBD features that have a clear economic payback and case studies of organizations that are realizing these benefits.  Also provided is step-by-step guidance on how hospital leaders can conduct their own business case evaluation with full consideration of the myriad savings to be gained by improving safety and quality.

Organizational Transformation: A Model for Joint Organization of Culture Change and Evidence-Based Design

This paper explores the interdependent relationships between facility design and organizational culture and how both  must be optimized to effect long-term transformation.  The authors provide a conceptual Joint Optimization Model, grounded in sociotechnical theory, for transformation that coordinates culture change with facility design changes.  Examples from different hospitals are provided to support the authors' theory, along with guidance on how to use the model effectively.

A Review of the Research Literature on Evidence-based Healthcare Design

This comprehensive review of the scientific literature on EBD builds on the previous review published by The Center for Health Design in 2004.  The authors provide a summary of the rigorous evidence exploring the relationship between the design of the physical environment and patient and staff outcomes.  The paper is organized into three main sections: patient safety, other patient outcomes, and staff outcomes.  At the conclusion of the paper is a table that indicates key design interventions by the outcomes that they can affect, offering readers an alternate way to access the material.

Book Review: A Visual Reference for Evidence Based Design

For more information on HERD or to subscribe, click here.