Psychiatric ward design can reduce aggressive behavior
2018
Journal of Environmental Psychology
Journal Article
Author(s): Ulrich, R. S., Bogren, L., Gardiner, S. K., Lundin, S.
Added July 2018
Seasonal Differences in Light Exposure and the Associations With Health and Well-Being in Older Adults Living: An Exploratory Study
2017
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 10
Pages 64-79
Author(s): Nioi, A., Roe, J., Gow, A., McNair, D., Aspinall, P.
Exposure to appropriate levels of bright light directly affects human circadian rhythms. The circadian rhythm plays a key role in overall human well-being. Previous research suggests that elderly patients within residential care homes are often exposed to low levels of light, which can result in circadian misalignment and irregularities in sleep/wake cycles.
Added May 2017
The Influence of Environmental Factors on Sleep Quality in Hospitalized Medical Patients
2014
Frontiers in Neurology
Journal Article
Author(s): Bano, M., Chiaromanni, F., Corrias, M., Turco, M., De Rui, M., Amodio, P., Merkel, C., Gatta, A., Mazzotta, G., Costa, R., Montagnese, S.
Added April 2017
Patient room lighting influences on sleep, appraisal and mood in hospitalized people
2017
Journal of Sleep Research
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 26
Pages 236-246
Author(s): Giménez, M. C., Geerdinck, L. M., Versteylen, M., Leffers, P., Meekes, G. J. B. M., Herremans, H., de Ruyter, B., Bikker, J. W., Kuijpers, P. M. J. C., Schlangen, L. J. M.
Hospitalized patients often struggle with sleeping soundly due to various factors that arise within the hospital environment, such as noise, pain, general discomfort, and irregular and inappropriate light exposure. Because sleep is such an integral part of the healing process, healthcare designers should consider different ways to improve hospital sleep conditions.
Added April 2017
Hospital lighting and its association with sleep, mood and pain in medical inpatients
2014
Journal of Advanced Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 70
Pages 1164-1173
Author(s): Bernhofer, E. I., Higgins, P. A., Daly, B. J., Burant, C. J., Hornick, T. R.
Added April 2017
Analysis of circadian stimulus allowed by daylighting in hospital rooms
2017
Lighting Research and Technology
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 49
Pages 49-61
Author(s): Acosta, I, Leslie, R. P., Figueiro, M. G.
Light is the major synchronizer of circadian rhythms to the 24-hour solar day. Compared to the visual system, the circadian system requires more light to be activated and is more sensitive to short-wavelength light. For those confined indoors, such as patients or residents in care facilities, the lack of access to daylight, or electric lighting providing a comparable amount, spectrum, distribution, duration, and timing, may compromise their human health and well-being.
Added November 2016
Systematic light exposure in the treatment of cancer-related fatigue: a preliminary study: Systematic light exposure in the treatment of cancer-related fatigue
2014
Psycho-Oncology
Journal Article
Issue 12
Volume 23
Pages 1431-1434
Author(s): Redd, W. H., Valdimarsdottir, H., Wu, L. M., Winkel, G., Byrne, E. E., Beltre, M. A., Liebman, E. S., Erazo, T., Hayes, J. A., Isola, L., Scigliano, E., Meschian, Y., Lutgendorf, S., Ancoli-Israel, S.
Patients with cancer frequently report the side effect of fatigue, which is described as distressing, persistent, and related to physical, emotional, and cognitive tiredness or exhaustion. Patients report feeling tired after resting during their treatments and long after the treatment has ended.
Added November 2016
The ability of environmental healthcare design strategies to impact event related anxiety in pediatric patients: A comprehensive systematic review
Author(s): Norton-Westwood, D.
Healthcare settings such as hospitals or dentists’ offices have been known to contribute to the anxiety often experienced by patients receiving treatment. Anxiety has been linked to various health concerns, manifesting both physiologically and psychologically, that can result in prolonged hospital stays and other complications.
Added June 2016
A nursing home staff tool for the indoor visual environment: The content validity
2016
Journal of Nursing Education and Practice
Journal Article
Issue 11
Volume 6
Pages 25-33
Author(s): Sinoo, M. M., Kort, H. S. M., Loomans, M. G. L. C., Schols, J. M. G. A.
Visual impairments affecting residents of nursing homes can arise from numerous causes, and they can directly affect these residents’ quality of life by jeopardizing their ability to participate in daily activities such as reading, watching television, or even interacting with others. The physical makeup of the nursing home itself can work to either help or hinder its residents, and in cases in which the environment is beneficial, the nursing home can be called an “environmental fit.
Added June 2016
Impact of the Physical Environment of Residential Health, Care, and Support Facilities (RHCSF) on Staff and Residents A Systematic Review of the Literature
2015
Environment and Behavior
Journal Article
Issue 10
Volume 48
Pages 1203-1241
Author(s): Joseph, A., Choi, Y.-S., Quan, X.
Strategies related to the design of the built environment should be considered within the context of the culture of the organization and the resident population. This study of the physical environment of residential health, care, and support facilities addresses the range of settings and population, where other studies have been lacking. The literature review strongly suggests that the built environment is an important component of care provided in residential care settings.
Added May 2016
Shaping the slats of hospital patient room window blinds for daylighting and external view under desert clear skies
2016
Solar Energy
Journal Article
Author(s): Sherif, A., Sabry, H., Wagdy, A., Mashaly, I, Arafa, R.
Many previous studies have shown how natural lighting can contribute to the healing nature of a hospital’s environment by reducing patient fatigue, stress, and length of stay. Desert locations are often characterized by continually clear skies, making control of the sunlight even more essential to patient satisfaction. It is therefore important to determine the optimal shape of window blind slats so that discomfort can be reduced without compromising levels of illumination.
Added April 2016
Developing the Birth Unit Design Spatial Evaluation Tool (BUDSET) in Australia: A Qualitative Study
2010
Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 3
Pages 43-57
Author(s): Foureur, M., Leap, N., Davis, D., Forbes, I., & Homer, C.
To develop a tool to assess the “optimality” of birth unit design. This is important because “Optimal birth spaces are likely to enable women to have physiologically normal labor and birth.”
Added January 2016
Influence of Bright Light Therapy on Postoperative Patients: A Pilot Study
2007
Intensive and Critical Care Nursing
Journal Article
Author(s): Taguchi, T., Yano, M. & Kido, Y.
While the use of light therapy in healthcare settings has been shown to be effective for the adjustment of the sleep-awake rhythm, it has not been applied to postoperative patients. Light is expected to be useful for the postoperative adjustment of the circadian rhythm by increasing the level of awakening during the daytime and inducing sleep during the night-time in patients under postoperative management in the ICU after major anaesthesia and surgery.
Added January 2016
Sleep in Hospitalized Elders: A Pilot Study
2012
Geriatric Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 31
Pages 263-172
Author(s): Missildine, K., Bergstrom, N., Meininger, J., Richards, K. & Foreman, M. D.
Sleep complaints are common among elders at home and in the hospital. These complaints include insomnia, difficulty falling sleep, and difficulty maintaining sleep, yet adequate sleep is commonly considered a necessary prerequisite to healing and recovery from illness.
Added January 2016
Designing a “Think-Along Dwelling” for People with Dementia: A Co-Creation Project Between Health Care and the Building Services Sector
2013
Journal of Housing for the Elderly
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 27
Pages 299-332
Author(s): Van Hoof, J., Blom, M. M., Post, H. N. A., & Bastein, W. L
Many of the elderly prefer to age-in-place. However, if one of the elderly developments dementia, particular challenges may be posed when designing, constructing, or retrofitting an existing home environment. In the Netherlands about two-thirds of the people with dementia live at home. This is the setting for this study.
Added January 2016
Specialized Design for Dementia
2013
Perspectives in Public Health
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 133
Pages 151-158
Author(s): Habell, M.
Designing for people with dementia is a major need in elderly care buildings. However, it is difficult to design for this population, as the parameters of dementia itself are often vague. The author also notes that the registration requirements in the UK for a care home make no distinction between the type of dementia or the severity of the dementia.
Added January 2016
Increased Daylight Availability Reduces Length of Hospitalization in Depressive Patients
2015
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
Journal Article
Author(s): Canellas, F., Mestre, L., Belber, M., & Frontera, G.
Research studies have documented the efficacy of bright light on people with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Bright light has been documented to have a therapeutic efficiency equivalent to most antidepressant medications.
Added January 2016
The Business Case for Building Better Neonatal Intensive Care Units
Journal of Perinatology
2014
Journal Article
Issue 11
Volume 34
Pages 811-815
Author(s): Shepley, M., Smith, J.A., Sadler, B.L. & White, R.D.
There is increasing evidence that the physical environment of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) has a tangible effect on the vulnerable infants who spend the first crucial weeks or months of their life there.
Added January 2016
Destination Bedside
2012
The Journal of Nursing Administration
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 42
Pages 256-265
Author(s): Watkins, N., Kennedy, M., Lee, N., O’Neill, M., Peavey, E., DuCharme, M., & Padula, C.
Patient-centered care (PCC) has been at the core of healthcare reform. Improvements and advancements in Healthcare Information Technology (HIT), Electronic Health Records and inpatient unit layout have been some means that aim to achieve PCC. Also key to PCC is the alleviation of medical errors, which HIT and related technology can help achieve.
Added January 2016
Impact of healthcare design on patients’ perception of a rheumatology outpatient infusion room: an interventional pilot study
2015
Clinical Rheumatology
Journal Article
Issue 7
Volume 34
Pages 1249-1254
Author(s): Bukh, G., Tommerup, A. M. M., Madsen, O. R.
Evidence-based healthcare design is a concept aimed at reducing stress factors in the physical environment for the benefit of patients and the medical staff. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of room modifications on patients’ perception of an outpatient infusion room used for treating rheumatologic diseases. Patient and nurse interviews, a staff workshop and field...
Added December 2015
