Factors Impeding Flexible Inpatient Unit Design
2012
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 6
Pages 83-103
Author(s): Pati, D., Evans, J., Harvey, T. E., Bazuin, D.
The physical environment can have a significant impact on operational efficiencies within healthcare environments. In an era of cost curtailment, design interventions that can provide maximum flexibility will become increasingly necessary. Following a 2006 study that identified domains within the design process that affect flexibility within acute care inpatient units, researchers wanted to understand whether domains external to the design process could influence the successful optimization of flexibility within the same environment.
Added September 2014
Effects of Nursing Unit Spatial Layout on Nursing Team Communication Patterns, Quality of Care, and Patient Safety
2012
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 6
Pages 8-38
Author(s): Hua, Y., Becker, F., Wurmser, T., Bliss-Holtz, J., Hedges, C.
A number of studies have looked at the impact of different types of healthcare staff communication on patient outcomes, as communication and collaboration are crucial for patient care. One topic that is starting to be studied but requires more research is the effect of nursing unit layout and design on nurse communication. While traditionally nursing units have a centralized layout with one main nursing station used by all staff in the unit, more recently there has been movement toward other types of layouts in an attempt to impact patient care.
Added September 2014
Effects of music intervention on physiological stress response and anxiety level of mechanically ventilated patients in China: A randomised controlled trial
2010
Journal of Clinical Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 7‐8
Volume 19
Pages 978-987
Author(s): Han, L., Li, J. P., Sit, J. W. H., Chung, L., Jiao, Z. Y., Ma, W. G.
Mechanical ventilation (MV) is one of the most common treatments used in intensive care units (ICUs). MV is known for causing stress and anxiety in patients due to frequent instances of sleep deprivation, pain, fear, communication difficulties, loneliness, and lack of control. Heightened levels of anxiety can manifest in various detrimental physiological responses and ultimately lead to a sicker patient.
Added September 2014
Noise levels in an Australian emergency department
2011
Australasian Emergency Nursing Journal
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 14
Pages 26-31
Author(s): Short, A. E., Short, K. T., Holdgate, A., Ahern, N., Morris, J.
Added September 2014
Effect of noise on auditory processing in the operating room
2013
Journal of the American College of Surgeons
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 216
Pages 933-8
Author(s): Way, T. J., Long, A., Weihing, J., Ritchie, R., Jones, R., Bush, M., Shinn, J. B.
Noise in operating rooms (ORs), defined as any unwanted sound impeding on normal hearing, can be grouped into two categories: equipment-related noise and staff-created noise. Equipment-related noise can come from anesthesia equipment and alarms, suction devices, or surgical instruments such as cautery devices, dissection tools, and drills. Staff-created noise can come from opening and closing doors, conversations, overhead pages, and music. All of these noise sources contribute to the average ambient noise in ORs, which is 65 dBA with peak levels reaching120 dBA.
Added September 2014
Music increases satisfaction in elderly outpatients undergoing cataract surgery
1997
Canadian Journal of Anesthesia
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 44
Pages 43-8
Author(s): Cruise, C. J., Chung, F., Yogendran, S., Little, D.
Cataract surgery is one of the most common surgical procedures performed on elderly patients in North America. Sedative medications are often used to reduce patient anxiety throughout the surgical procedure, but elderly patients are more likely to experience adverse health effects from these medications. The anxiety-reducing effects of music have been widely studied previously, but never in the context of elderly patients undergoing cataract surgery.
Added September 2014
Satisfaction with the emergency department environment decreases with length of stay
2010
Emergency Medicine Journal
Journal Article
Issue 11
Volume 27
Pages 821-8
Author(s): Walsh, M., Knott, J. C.
Added September 2014
The relationship between patients' perception of care and measures of hospital quality and safety
2010
Health Services Research
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 45
Pages 1024-40
Author(s): Isaac, T., Zaslavsky, A. M., Cleary, P. D., Landon, B. E.
Patient experience in hospitals is measured using the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey. Administered to medical, surgical, and obstetric patients, this survey measures nine aspects of care quality.
Added September 2014
Hospital-Acquired Conditions After Orthopedic Surgery Do Not Affect Patient Satisfaction Scores
2013 Aug 2013
Journal for Healthcare Quality
Journal Article
Author(s): Day, M. S., Hutzler, L. H., Karia, R., Vangsness, K., Setia, N., Bosco, J. A., 3rd
Added September 2014
Implementation of innovative pulsed xenon ultraviolet (PX-UV) environmental cleaning in an acute care hospital
2014
Journal of Risk Management and Healthcare Policy
Journal Article
Author(s): Fornwalt, L., Riddell, B.
Cleaning of the hospital environment is considered crucial to the prevention of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) and overall patient safety. The authors note that many European and American hospitals use new technologies like ultraviolet (UV) light and hydrogen peroxide vapor to clean their facilities, and that these have been effective in reducing the HAI rates.
Added September 2014
Quality of life and building design in residential and nursing homes for older people
2004
Ageing and Society
Journal Article
Issue 6
Volume 24
Pages 941-962
Author(s): Parker, C., Barnes, S., McKee, K., Morgan, K., Torrington, J., Tregenza, P.
Older people living in residential and nursing care homes spend a large proportion of their time within the boundaries of the home, and may depend on the environment to compensate for their physical or cognitive frailties. Regulations and guidelines on the design of care buildings have accumulated over time with little knowledge of their impact on the quality of life of building users. The Design...
Added September 2014
Person-Environment Fit and Functioning Among Older Adults in a Long-Term Care Setting
2011
Geriatric Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 32
Pages 368-378
Author(s): Pomeroy, S. H., Scherer, Y., Runkawatt, V., Iamsumang, W., Lindemann, J., Resnick, B.
Research conducted in different nursing homes (NHs) shows that the main focus of care in nursing homes is to meet the physical and medical care needs of residents with emphasis on basic care such as bathing, dressing, medication administration, nutrition, providing wound care, and other types of medically driven procedures, not on maximizing the function and time spent in physical activity.
Added September 2014
Community-Based Versus Institutional Supportive Housing: Perceived Quality of Care, Quality of Life, Emotional Well-Being, and Social Interaction
2011
Journal of Applied Gerontology
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 30
Pages 275-303
Author(s): Robison, J., Shugrue, N., Reed, I., Thompson, N., Smith, P., Gruman, C.
Numerous options for residential supportive housing are available for people who need long-term care. Some options are categorized as institutional while others are designated community-based; the movement to rebalance the long-term care system emphasizes the latter category. This study examines the experiences of 150 residents of two types of community-based supportive housing-assisted living (...
Added September 2014
An epidemiological study assessing the relative importance of airborne and direct contact transmission of microorganisms in a medical intensive care unit
1990
The Journal of Hospital Infection
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 15
Pages 301-9
Author(s): Bauer, T. M., Ofner, E., Just, H. M., Just, H., Daschner, F. D.
Added September 2014
Healthcare leadership white paper series - maximizing the impact of nursing care quality: a closer look at the hospital work environment and the nurse’s impact on patient-care quality
2008
The Center for Health Design
Report
Author(s): Hendrich, A.L., Chow, M.
Current hospital work environments have inefficient work processes, physical designs, technology infrastructure, and organizational cultures that cause inefficiencies and nursing stressors that compromise direct patient care.
Added September 2014
Dying well: Factors that influence the provision of good end-of-life care for older people in acute and long-stay care settings in Ireland
2010
Journal of Clinical Nursing
Journal Article
Volume 20
Pages 1824-1833
Author(s): Casey, D., Murphy, K., Ni Leime, A., Larkin, P., Payne, S., Froggatt, K. A., O'Shea, E.
The authors surmise that in Ireland, care for older people, as they get closer to end-of-life (EoL), is usually provided in a healthcare facility – acute care hospital, nursing home, or long-stay care.
Added September 2014
Consultation room design and the clinical encounter: The space and interaction randomized trial
2009
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 3
Pages 41-78
Author(s): Almquist, J., Kelly, C., Bromberg, J., Bryant, S., Christianson, T., Montori, V.
Although computers are now often located in consultation rooms, their screens are generally oriented so that patients and those that accompany them to appointments can’t see them, but physicians can. This study investigated how changing the design of the consultation room so that patients, the people accompanying them to appointments, and the physician present could all see a computer screen in use and potentially all make modifications to the information displayed would influence patient-clinician interactions.
Added September 2014
The Impact of Facility Improvements on Hospital Nurses
2008
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 1
Pages 5-13
Author(s): Berry, L. L., Parish, J. T.
Despite the increase of research related to the design of healthcare facilities, studies of the impact of facility features on hospital staff are far less common than those that examine the impact on patients. Yet it is important to design healthcare facilities based on the best available evidence, especially given that hospitals require a significant capital investment and are the foundation for life-saving work.
Added September 2014
Integrating Electronic Health Records in the Physical Environment: A Systems Approach
2008
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 2
Pages 48-65
Author(s): Rich, C. R., Day, T. D.
Added September 2014
Mock-Ups as “Interactive Laboratories”: Mixed Methods Research Using Inpatient Unit Room Mock-Ups
2008
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 2
Pages 66-81
Author(s): Watkins, N., Myers, D., Villasante, R.
Simulations allow designers and researchers an opportunity to evaluate how users may interact with a proposed environment prior to the construction of a design. While mock-ups have been used in healthcare environments to assess the efficacy of design solutions, to help clients experience proposed design decisions, and to make changes prior to the building phase and evaluate products and technology, minimal literature exists detailing multiple or mixed methods that can be used to evaluate the results associated with the use of mock-ups from a participatory, qualitative, and quantitative perspective.
Added September 2014