Ceiling lifts reduce patient-handling injuries
2006
Healthcare Design
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 6
Pages 10-13
Author(s): Joseph, A., Fritz, L.
Nurses and nurse aides who have direct interaction with patients, performing manual lifting and transferring activities, are at a particularly high risk of injury and back pain. There are significant reductions in the incidence of injury when staff uses mechanical lift equipment vs. manual lifting techniques. In comparison with floor mechanical lift equipment, ceiling-mounted lifts are superior due to their ease of use, storage, and patient safety.
Added July 2014
Perceived hospital environment quality indicators: A study of orthopaedic units
2006
Journal of Environmental Psychology
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 26
Pages 321-334
Author(s): Fornara, F., Bonaiuto, M., Bonnes, M.
The field of healthcare design has increasingly recognized the need for building environments that are more ‘‘user-centered,’’ but spatial–physical features have not typically been included in assessment surveys on patient satisfaction.
Added July 2014
Elderhood in Eden
2003
Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 19
Pages 282-290
Author(s): Thomas, W. H., Johansson, C.
Increasing numbers of our elders are entering nursing homes and assisted living facilities every day. The Eden Alternative and the new Green House Project, offer a fundamentally different way of looking at elderhood. The premise: caring for our elders in places that are much more like gardens and much less like institutions results in enhanced quality of life as well as improved clinical outcomes.
Added July 2014
Legionnaires' Disease in Long-Term Care Facilities: Overview and Proposed Solutions
2005
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 53
Pages 875-880
Author(s): Seenivasan, M. H., Yu, V. L., Muder, R. R.
Legionnaires’ disease is a notable problem in acute care settings. Legionnaires’ disease has been shown to be an important cause of community- and hospital-acquired pneumonia. In hospitals with Legionella colonization of the water systems, hospital-acquired legionellosis is frequently endemic, accounting for 10% to 40% of hospital-acquired pneumonias. Legionnaires’ disease also accounts for 2% to 15% of community-acquired pneumonia. In contrast, the incidence of Legionnaires’ disease in long-term care residents is not clearly delineated.
Added July 2014
Long-term care physical environments- effect on medication errors
2012
International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 25
Pages 431-441
Author(s): Mahmood, A., Chaudhury, H., Gaumont, A., Rust, T.
Medication errors contribute significantly to patient morbidity and mortality, and are associated with considerable healthcare costs, as well. The human and financial costs following preventable medical errors are high; data in the United States suggest an estimated 44,000 inpatients die each year from preventable medical errors. Nationally, preventable adverse event costs have been estimated at $17 billion.
Added July 2014
Effects of indoor gardening on sleep, agitation, and cognition in dementia patients - A pilot study
2008
International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 23
Pages 485-489
Author(s): Lee, Y., Kim, S.
Pharmacological intervention including sedative hypnotics and neuroleptics is a common treatment for sleep and behavioral problems in dementia. However, the high risk of adverse effects of those drugs indicates that non-pharmacological interventions are needed as well. Among those non-pharmacological interventions physical activity is one approach that influences the circadian timing system and was suggested to be effective for sleep and behavioral disturbances of dementia patients. In addition, the positive effects of physical activities, especially exercise, on cognition were suggested.
Added July 2014
Presence and Visibility of Outdoor and Indoor Physical Activity Features and Participation in Physical Activity Among Older Adults in Retirement Communities
2006
Journal of Housing for the Elderly
Journal Article
Issue 3/-4
Volume 19
Pages 141-165
Author(s): Joseph, A., Zimring, C., Harris-Kojetin, L., Kiefer, K.
Regular physical activity contributes to better health among old and very old individuals, allowing them to remain independent for a longer period of time. As with other factors, researchers are increasingly examining the role of the physical setting in encouraging or discouraging physical activity and providing convergent evidence on neighborhood design associated with physical activity by older people.
Added July 2014
Understanding the Role of Hospital Design on the Psychological Trauma of Hospitalization for Children
Author(s): Cartland, J.
The Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago (formerly, Children’s Memorial Hospital) has gone through many transformations since its founding in a small North Side cottage 130 years ago. Lurie Children’s recently executed one of the most significant transformations in its history. It moved into a replacement facility, leaving its historic home in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago and moving near its academic partner, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, in the Streeterville neighborhood.
Added June 2014
Occupancy and Patient Care Quality Benefits of Private Room Designs for Five Different Children’s Hospital Intensive Care Units – A Human Factors Evaluation
2013
Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 57
Pages 703-707
Author(s): Smith, T.J.
Prior research over the last two decades has shown private rooms (PR) within NICU care environments positively impact parents and patient care staff in the areas of lighting quality, privacy, noise, job satisfaction, reduced stress for staff, and increased participation and accommodations for parents. However, minimal research has been conducted to understand the impact of PR on other pediatric departments within acute care environments.
Added May 2014
Applying human factors in improving medication-use safety
2002
American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy
Journal Article
Issue 12
Volume 59
Pages 1155-1159
Author(s): Schneider,PJ.
In this descriptive study the author summarizes the highlights of an interactive conference on human factors (HF) and t applications to improve medication safety. The author describes the various human factors concepts and tools and their applications in reducing human errors, thus improving medication safety.
Added May 2014
Centralized vs. Decentralized Nursing Stations: Effects on Nurses’ Functional Use of Space and Work Environment
2010
Health Environments Research and Design Journal (HERD)
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 3
Pages 19-42
Author(s): Zborowsky, T., Bunker Hellmich, L., Morelli, A., O’Neill, M.
Information technology enables nurses to move away from traditional centralized paper-charting stations to smaller decentralized work stations and charting substations located closer to, or inside of, patient rooms. Understanding the tradeoffs presented by centralized and decentralized nursing station design could provide useful information for future design and the nurse environment "fit."
Added May 2014
Suicide Attempts and Completions in the Emergency Department in Veterans Affairs Hospitals
2012
Emergency Medicine Journal
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 29
Pages 399-403
Author(s): Mills, P. D., Watts, B. V., DeRosier, J. M., Tomolo, A. M., Bagian, J. P.
Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States, and approximately 1,500 suicides occur in inpatient hospital units in the United States each year, This study examines the specific environmental factors involved in suicide attempts and completions in an ED in a large, nationally represented hospital sample (VA).
Added May 2014
Utilizing Integrated Facility Design to Improve the Quality of a Pediatric Ambulatory Surgery Center
2013
Pediatric Anesthesia
Journal Article
Author(s): Pelly, N., Zeallear, B., B., Reed, M., Martin, L.
Integrated Facility Design (IFD) comes from the Toyota 3P (Production, Preparation, Process) program used to reduce initial cost, while accelerating development time.
Added May 2014
Physical activity, functional limitations, and disability in older adults.
2000
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Journal Article
Issue 10
Volume 48
Pages 1264–1272
Author(s): Miller, M. E., Rejeski, W. J., Reboussin, B. A., Ten Have, T. R., Ettinger, W. H.
Research suggests that physical activity slows the progression of disability in seniors and, thus, prolongs independent living. Geriatric care-givers often use the activities of daily living (ADL), such as feeding and grooming, and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), such as managing finances and housework, to determine if older adults have the skills necessary to live independently.
Added May 2014
Research note: Physical Activity in Pediatric Healing Gardens
2013
Landscape and Urban Planning
Journal Article
Issue October
Volume 118
Pages 53-58
Author(s): Pasha, S., Shepley, M., M.
Research has shown that frequency and duration of garden use within urban and hospital settings can be hindered through barriers such as uncomfortable seating and lack of shade. However, once barriers like these are removed, it is unknown if an increase in frequency and duration of garden use has an impact on the level of physical activity during garden visitation.
Added May 2014
Fall and Injury Prevention in Older People Living in Residential Care Facilities: A Cluster Randomized Trial
2002
Annals of Internal Medicine
Journal Article
Issue 10
Volume 136
Pages 733–741
Author(s): Jensen, J., Lundin-Olsson, L., Nyberg, L., Gustafson, Y.
Despite the fact that falls and resulting injuries are common in the residential care population, little is known about how to prevent falls. Research during the past 10 years around fall prevention has shown positive and negative results. Some of these inconsistent results could be explained by differences in target groups, interventions, and outcome measures.
Added May 2014
The healthcare environment through the eyes of a child - Does it soothe or provoke anxiety?
2012
International Journal of Nursing Practice
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 18
Pages 7-11
Author(s): Norton-Westwood, D.
Research has shown that the hospital environment can be distressing to a child. However, introducing design features that spark a child’s imagination can help to reduce anxiety.
Added May 2014
Decreasing the incidence of falls in the nursing home in a cost-conscious environment: a pilot study
2003
Journal of the American Medical Directors Association
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 4
Pages 95-97
Author(s): Hofmann, M. T., Bankes, P. F., Javed, A., Selhat, M.
About 30% of seniors living in the community fall per year, but that figure jumps to 60% in the nursing home elderly, with 4% of those resulting in a fracture. In addition to the pain and suffering these individuals endure, these falls increase healthcare costs. Research shows that incurring one or more falls with injury increases nursing home costs $5,325 per year. Several strategies have been used to reduce falls and their complications, however, they have mixed results.
Added May 2014
Pictorial Intervention in a Pediatric Hospital Environment: Effects on Parental Affective Perception of the Unit
2012
Journal of Environmental Psychology
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 32
Pages 216-224
Author(s): Monti, F., Dellabartola, S., Neri, E., Bozicevic, L., Pocecco, M. , Agostini, F.
Prior research has shown that the physical, emotional, and social health of a parent, during the course of their child’s hospitalization, directly affects the health and well-being of their child.
Added May 2014
BedSAFE. A bed safety project for frail older adults
2003
Journal of Gerontological Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 11
Volume 29
Pages 34-42
Author(s): Choi, Y. S., Hoffman, S. B., Powell-Cope, G. , MacClellan, L. , Bero, K.
Bed rails may cause significant injury and death from entrapments. Systematic interventions are needed to guide practices that reduce bed-rail use while addressing related clinical issues.
Added May 2014
