The effects of the indoor environment of residential care homes on dementia suffers in Hong Kong: A critical incident technique approach
2014
Building and Environment
Journal Article
Issue Supplement C
Volume 73
Pages 32-39
Author(s): Wong, J. K.-W., Skitmore, M., Buys, L., Wang, K.
The authors introduce their paper pointing to the increase, globally, in the number of individuals affected with dementia, and a growing need to improve the quality of life of such individuals. The behavioral and psychological challenges associated with this syndrome often necessitates the referral of the patient to be placed in residential care homes. Literature indicates that the physical environments of facilities designed for dementia patients impact their well-being and quality of life. However, there are few studies addressing all such indoor environmental (IE) factors potentially affecting the behavior of the residents of these facilities. This paper reports findings from research conducted in six residential care homes (RCH) in Hong Kong studying the impact of IE factors on the behavior of dementia residents. The study found lighting, acoustic, and thermal environments to be the main IE factors that impact the behavior of dementia patients.
Added October 2017
The Effects of Music, White Noise, and Ambient Noise on Sedation and Anxiety in Patients Under Spinal Anesthesia During Surgery
2014
Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 29
Pages 418-426
Author(s): Ilkkaya, N. K., Ustun, F. E., Sener, E. B., Kaya, C., Ustun, Yasemin Burcu, Koksal, E., Kocamanoglu, I. S., Ozkan, F.
Added September 2017
Exploring Direct and Indirect Influences of Physical Work Environment on Job Satisfaction for Early-Career Registered Nurses Employed in Hospitals
2014
Research in Nursing & Health
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 37
Pages 312-325
Author(s): Djukic, M., Kovner, C. T., Brewer, C. S., Fatehi, F., Greene, W. H.
We explored direct and indirect influences of physical work environment on job satisfaction in a nationally representative sample of 1,141 early-career registered nurses. In the fully specified model, physical work environment had a non-significant direct effect on job satisfaction. The path analysis used to test multiple indirect effects showed that physical work environment had a positive...
Added October 2015
Impact of NICU design on environmental noise
2014
Journal of Neonatal Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 20
Pages 77-81
Author(s): Szymczak, S. E., Shellhaas, R. A.
Literature shows that preterm infants can be adversely affected by sounds in a hospital. Yet completely quiet environments may potentially limit a much-needed exposure to language. This presents a challenge to designing an optimal sound environment in NICUs. This study examined the acoustic variance in open bay and single room NICUs and found that there was little variability in the acoustic environment of the two NICU models. It also found that the single room NICU had longer periods of silence than the open bay NICU.
Added July 2015
A companionship between strangers – the hospital environment as a challenge in patient–patient interaction in oncology wards
2014
Journal of Advanced Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 70
Pages 395-404
Author(s): Larsen, L. S., Larsen, B. H., Birkelund, R.
The authors allude to existing literature indicating the healing and therapeutic effect of hospital environments and the increasing evidence between healthcare environments and patient outcomes. In this study the authors explore through observations and interviews of patients how the hospital environment impacts the interaction between hospitalized cancer patients.
Added May 2015
Sleep disorder in cardiac care units: A special look at noise and light effects
2014
International Journal of Bioassays
Journal Article
Issue 01
Volume 4
Pages 3680-3685
Author(s): Sheihki, M. A., Ebadi, A., Rahmani, H.
Patients in hospitals sometimes experience disturbed sleep because of environmental factors. The lack of adequate sleep has many adverse effects, and these effects are particularly critical in the case of patients in intensive care units (ICUs).
Added March 2015
Exploring positive hospital ward soundscape interventions
2014
Applied Ergonomics
Journal Article
Issue 6
Volume 45
Pages 1454-1460
Author(s): Mackrill, J., Jennings, P., Cain, R.
Research has repeatedly shown strong relationships between human health and the characteristics of physical environments, such as a given environment’s soundscape. A soundscape encompasses all the sounds generated within an environment, rather than a single sound source like an air vent. While there have been negative health effects associated with the excessive sound often produced in hospital soundscapes, there potentially could be beneficial outcomes in maintaining and thoroughly understanding the soundscapes of certain hospital areas.
Added December 2014
The effects of physical environments in medical wards on medication communication processes affecting patient safety
2014
Health & Place
Journal Article
Author(s): Liu, W., Manias, E., Gerdtz, M.
The physical environment of a hospital has a wide range of effects on the quality of care administered to patients. In the context of medication distribution, seamless communication among healthcare professionals of different backgrounds is imperative, and in many cases the physical environment itself can have positive or negative effects on this complex process.
Added November 2014
Analysis of the soundscape in an intensive care unit based on the annotation of an audio recording
2014
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 135
Pages 1875-1886
Author(s): Park, M., Kohlrausch, A., de Bruijn, W., de Jager, P., Simons, K.
Patients receiving treatment in intensive care units (ICUs) are often subjected to elevated noise levels that can complicate recovery by disturbing sleep patterns and causing stress, anxiety, and changes in cardiovascular response. Although previous research has thoroughly analyzed the various sources of noise in ICUs, the authors of this study believe that inadequate recording and sound analysis techniques, as well as the presence of human observers collecting data, have restricted the depth of previous findings.
Added November 2014
