Violence In Healthcare Facilities: Lessons From the Veterans Health Administration
2004
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
Journal Article
Volume 46
Pages 1158-1165
Author(s): Hodgson, M.J. , Reed, R., Craig,T., Murphy, F., Lehmann, L., Belton, L., Warren, N.
The authors examined assault frequency and risk factors in healthcare.
Added May 2014
Effects of Acuity-Adaptable Rooms on Flow of Patients and Delivery of Care
2004
American Journal of Critical Care
Journal Article
Author(s): Hendrich, A. L., Fay, J., Sorrells, A.
Acuity-adaptable rooms could reduce patient transfer times, decrease costs, and increase patient quality of care and satisfaction. Researchers conducted a pre/post study in an acute care setting to evaluate the impact of moving to acuity-adaptable rooms on patient flow, hospital capacity, patient and staff satisfaction, sentinel events, average length of stay, and nursing productivity.
Added May 2014
Intra-unit patient transports: time, motion, and cost impact on hospital efficiency
2005
Nursing Economic$
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 23
Pages 157-164
Author(s): Hendrich, A. L., Lee, N.
Transferring patients can be stressful and confusing for patients and their families. In addition, risks to the patient increase during transfers. Thus, many healthcare facilities are trying to reduce patient transfers by providing more flexible patient rooms.
Added May 2014
Conditions Associated with Wandering in People With Dementia From the Viewpoint of Self-Awareness: Five Case Reports
2012
American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease & Other Dementias
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 27
Pages 162-170
Author(s): Yokoi, T. , Aoyama, K. , Ishida, K. , Okamura, H.
One of the conditions of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), namely, wandering, which can trigger a need for institutionalization and can cause traffic accidents was investigated.
Added May 2014
Impact of Extended-Duration Shifts on Medical Errors, Adverse Events and Attentional Failures
2006
Public Library of Science Medicine
Journal Article
Issue 12
Volume 3
Pages 2440-2448
Author(s): Barger, L.K. , Ayas,N.T., Cade,B.E., Cronin, J.W., Rosner, B. , Speizer, F.E., Czeisler, C.A.
In the United States, medical students who are doing their internship (first year of postgraduate clinical training) regularly work in the clinic for longer than 24 hours at a time. There has been empirical evidence that the extended-duration shifts commonly worked by medical interns in hospitals may contribute to the risk of medical errors being made, and perhaps to the risk of adverse events more generally. The current study assessed whether extended-duration shifts worked by interns are associated with significant medical errors, adverse events, and attentional failures in a diverse population of interns across the United States.
Added May 2014
Using external memory aids to increase room finding by older adults with dementia
2001
American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 16
Pages 251-254
Author(s): Nolan, B. A., Mathews, R. M., Harrison, M.
Memory deficits are commonly experienced by seniors with Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Disorientation is a memory-related skill deficit that leads to reduced mobility and inhibits independence. Further, it is upsetting for residents when they can't find their rooms and often repeatedly ask staff to help them. Some research suggests that display cases with the residents’ personal memorabilia can help those with moderately severe dementia locate their rooms.
Added May 2014
Work Stressors and the Quality of Life in Long-Term Care Units
2004
Gerontologist
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 44
Pages 633-643
Author(s): Pekkarinen, L., Sinervo, T., Perala, M. L., Elovainio, M.
Research suggests that work stress adversely affects healthcare staff job performance. And this in turn can influence patients’ quality of care or quality of life.
Added May 2014
Lean Thinking in Emergency Departments: A Critical Review
2011
Annals of Emergency Medicine
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 57
Pages 265-278
Author(s): Holden, R. J.
Added May 2014
Improving Front-End Flow in an Urban Academic Medical Center Emergency Department: The Emergency Department Discharge Facilitator Team
2013
Journal of Urban Health
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 90
Pages 406-411
Author(s): Sharma, R., Mulcare, M. R., Graetz, R., Greenwald, P. W., Mustalish, A. C., Miluszusky, B., Flomenbaum, N. E.
Added May 2014
Neural systems for landmark-based wayfinding in humans
2014
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Journal Article
Issue 1635
Volume 369
Pages 20120533
Author(s): Epstein, R. A., Vass, L. K.
Added May 2014
Lighting for improving balance in older adults with and without risk for falls
2012
Age & Ageing
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 41
Pages 392–395
Author(s): Figueiro, M. G., Gras, L. Z., Rea, M. S., Plitnick, B., Rea, M. S.
Sensory information about self-position and location of objects in the environment helps maintain balance, together with sensory input from the vestibular and somatosensory systems. The dependence on visual information for the maintenance of postural stability and control increases with age due to age-related changes that occur in the vestibular and somatosensory systems. Studies show that lighting enhances veridical visual information about the environment, and this could help older adults maintain better balance and be associated with less falls.
Added May 2014
The effects of refurbishment on residents' quality of life and wellbeing in two Swedish residential care facilities
2009
Health & Place
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 15
Pages 717–724
Author(s): Falk, H., Wijk, H., Persson, L.-O
The prevalence of elderly people with cognitive impairment in Swedish residential care facilities has been estimated to be approximately 50%, usually resulting in integrated populations with both cognitively intact and impaired residents. The physical environment must respond to the changing characteristics of their residents and variations within individuals over time to be able to provide for more than a single stage of fragility.
Added May 2014
Reduction in Injury Rates in Nursing Personnel Through Introduction of Mechanical Lifts in the Workplace
2003
American Journal of Industrial Medicine
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 44
Pages 451–457
Author(s): Evanoff, B., Wolf, L., Aton, E., Canos, J., Collins, J.
Many studies have reported a high rate of back injuries and other musculoskeletal disorders among healthcare workers. Back pain has been identified as a major factor in causing nurses to leave the profession. Patient care requires many lifting and transfer tasks that pose a demonstrated risk of injury to workers. Mechanical assistive devices such as patient hoists offer an engineering solution to reducing potentially harmful physical exposure to nurses.
Added May 2014
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
Does a wander garden influence inappropriate behaviors in dementia residents?
2008
American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 23
Pages 31–45
Author(s): Detweiler, M. B., Murphy, P. F., Myers, L. C., Kim, K. Y.
Most cognitively impaired dementia unit residents are dependent and confined to a safe custodial environment with limited exposure to natural settings. However, the mandatory indoor confinement of dementia residents has been known to increase verbal and physical agitation and use of psychotropic medications. Several studies have reported that having access to unlocked doors leading to a garden or outdoor area may reduce the level of inappropriate behaviors in both residential and long-term dementia care facilities. This study explores the effect of adding a wander garden to an existing dementia unit on inappropriate behaviors of residents.
Added May 2014
Scheduled Medications and Falls in Dementia Patients Utilizing a Wander Garden
2009
American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 24
Pages 322–332
Author(s): Detweiler, M. B., Murphy, P. F., Kim, K. , Myers, L. , Ashai, A.
Among dementia residents, fall risk is often compounded by the side effects of the medications routinely used to treat comorbid medical issues, in addition to treating concurrent depression, agitation, psychosis, anxiety, and insomnia. Of all the types of medications involved in increased fall risk, psychotropic medications have been identified as having the highest risk. Studies suggest that dementia patients using a wander garden may have decreased indices of agitation and reduced use of as-needed (pro re nata [PRN]) medications. In addition, the wander garden has been reported to be a positive environmental intervention to reduce falls in residents with dementia.
Added May 2014
Quality of life of residents with dementia in traditional versus small-scale long-term care settings: a quasi-experimental study
2012
International Journal of Nursing Studies
Journal Article
Issue 8
Volume 49
Pages 931–940
Author(s): de Rooij, A. H. P. M., Luijkx, K. G., Schaafsma, J., Declercq, A. G., Declercq, A. G., Emmerink, P. M. J., Schols, J. M. G. A.
Due to the rapid increase in the number of people suffering from dementia worldwide, more residential care is greatly needed. Traditionally, residential dementia care has been carried out with a medical- and nursing-based care approach, which has been criticized for focusing mainly on the care aspects. Experts argue that dementia care should also pay attention to creating the environment that offers a better balance between living, well-being, and care. In an effort for better balance, small-scale living facilities for older persons have been developed. However, limited research has been done to identify their impact on quality of life of residents.
Added May 2014
Life Safety Code Comparison
2013
American Society for Healthcare Engineering
Journal Article
Author(s): Crowley, M. A., Harper, J. E.
Added May 2014
Living Environment and Mobility of Older Adults
2011
Gerontologist
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 57
Pages 698–703
Author(s): Cress, M. E., Orini, S., Kinsler, L.
Older adults often decide to live in smaller environments. Smaller living space and the addition of services provided by a retirement community (RC) may make living easier for the individual, but it may also reduce the amount of daily physical activity and ultimately reduce functional ability.
Added May 2014
Multisensory Stimulation to Improve Functional Performance in Moderate to Severe Dementia—Interim Results
2010
American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias
Journal Article
Issue 8
Volume 25
Pages 698–703
Author(s): Collier, L., McPherson, K., Ellis-Hill, C., Staal, J., Bucks, R.
One of the innovative interventions for dementia care is the use of multisensory environments (MSEs). It is designed to stimulate senses, providing an activity-based intervention and is argued to address imbalance in sensory stimulation by pacing sensory-stimulating activity with sensory-calming activity. This sensory pacing may assist people with dementia in coping with confusion and behavior changes that are the consequences of this progressive, debilitating illness. However, the value of MSEs for people with dementia has yet to be established. Therefore, this study aimed to explore to what extent the sensory components of MSEs influence functional performance in people with moderate to severe dementia.
Added May 2014
