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Knowledge Repository

A complete, user-friendly database of healthcare design research references MoreLess about the Knowledge Repository

The Knowledge Repository is a complete, user-friendly database of healthcare design research references that continues to grow with the latest peer-reviewed publications. Start with our Knowledge Repository for all of your searches for articles and research citations on healthcare design topics. Access full texts through the source link, read key point summaries, or watch slidecasts. Expand your search and find project briefs, interviews, and other relevant resources by visiting our Insights & Solutions page.

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Displaying 41 - 60 of 199

Intensive care unit design and mortality in trauma patients

Author(s): Pettit, N. R., Wood, T., Lieber, M., O'Mara, M. S.
A primary concern for many patient care units is the question of where to place more seriously ill patients within the space that is available. Questions regarding the impact of architectural features, such as the availability of natural lighting, or adjacency to nurse stations on patient health outcomes should be further explored so that increasingly effective healthcare environments can be established. Currently, no data exist demonstrating whether trauma patients receiving treatment in intensive care unit (ICU) beds with poor visibility from a central nursing station experience health outcomes different from those in rooms that may be more visible from the nursing station.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2015

Finding privacy from a public death: A qualitative exploration of how a dedicated space for end-of-life care in an acute hospital impacts on dying patients and their families

Author(s): Slatyer, S., Pienaar, C., Williams, A. M., Proctor, K., Hewitt, L.
Seriously ill patients die in hospitals around the world, and previous studies have shown that the factors that constitute a “good death” from the perspective of patients include control, comfort, family inclusion, sensitive communication, and peace. The quality of care provided to dying patients affects not only the patients, but bereaved families as well. It is therefore important for hospital environments to carefully consider the resources they provide towards quality end-of-life care.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2015

Hallway Patients Reduce Overall Emergency Department Satisfaction

Author(s): Stiffler, K. A., Wilber, S. T.
Added December 2015

Driving Efficient Flow: Three Best-Practice Models

Author(s): Baker, S. J., Shupe, R., Smith, D.
Added December 2015

Ready-JET-Go: Split Flow Accelerates ED Throughput

Author(s): Bish, P. A., McCormick, M. A., Otegbeye, M.
Emergency departments (ED) in America have seen large increases in demand for emergency services over the last decade. This increased demand for ED services has resulted in delayed treatment for patients, increased rates of patients leaving the ED without receiving treatment, and decreases in satisfactory ED visit experiences.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2015

Initiatives to reduce overcrowding and access block in Australian emergency departments: A literature review

Author(s): Crawford, K., Morphet, J., Jones, T., Innes, K., Griffiths, D., Williams, Allison
Australian emergency departments are experiencing an increasing demand for their services. Patient throughput continues to expand resulting in overcrowding and access block where patients cannot gain entry to appropriate hospital beds. This is despite both state and federal governments implementing numerous schemes to address the complex causes of stress on emergency departments. This paper...
Key Point Summary
Added December 2015

Using Lean-Based Systems Engineering to Increase Capacity in the Emergency Department

Author(s): White, B., Chang, Y., Grabowski, B., Brown, D.
Emergency department (ED) crowding is a widespread issue that causes a multitude of negative effects on patient care quality, safety, and efficiency. Lean-based systems engineering, which is often used for industrial manufacturing, is a method for eliminating all forms of waste (including wasted time and other resources) to optimize productivity. Recent studies have begun to demonstrate the use of systems engineering and improvement science on streamlining processes and improving throughput in different medical capacities, but an opportunity remains to refine the application of these tools within EDs in particular.
Key Point Summary
Added December 2015

The Green House Model of Nursing Home Care in Design and Implementation

Author(s): Cohen, L. W., Zimmerman, S., Reed, D., Brown, P., Bowers, B. J., Nolet, K., Hudak, S., Horn, S., the THRIVE Research Collaborative
The Green House (GH) model of nursing home (NH) care is a trademarked model created in 2012 that seeks to undo the social stigmas and inefficiencies commonly associated with NHs. GH homes are marked by smaller-sized homes (10-12 residents) located in community neighborhoods, personalized care procedures that are tailored to individual patient needs, and 24-hour nurse availability.
Key Point Summary
Added November 2015

Evaluation of factors and approaches affecting emergency department space planning

Author(s): Pascale, F., Achour, N., Price, A. D. F., Polverino, F.
Increasing demand for care in emergency departments (EDs) is a widespread issue that has provoked the development of different processes to help reduce the struggles faced by healthcare providers. By investigating the different methods healthcare designers have implemented to reduce the costs and complications associated with ED overcrowding and inefficiency, more resilient designs may be realized in the future.
Key Point Summary
Added November 2015

Centralized to hybrid nurse station: Communication and teamwork among nursing staff

Author(s): Zhang, Y., Soroken, L., Laccetti, M., Castillero, E. R. d., Konadu, A.
Nursing stations often act as the primary workspaces for various members of a healthcare team while patients aren’t being directly worked with. Centralized nursing stations can lead to higher rates of telephone and computer use and administrative tasks while decreasing time spent caring for patients. Conversely, decentralized nursing stations have been found to create feelings of isolation and poor communication among staff. To emphasize the positive aspects of both formats, the authors propose a hybrid nursing station design that features decentralized stations connected to centralized meeting spaces.
Key Point Summary
Added October 2015

Implications of the emergency department triage environment on triage practice for clients with a mental illness at triage in an Australian context

Author(s): Broadbent, M., Moxham, L., Dwyer, T.
Emergency departments (EDs) in Australia have been seeing an increase in recent years in the number of patients presenting with mental illness. This study aims to determine if the triage environment of the ED influences the triage practice of ED nurses. Using an ethnographic approach, the research found that ED nurses felt that triaging mentally ill patients in an area that is very public, noisy, and lacks privacy can impact their ability to effectively conduct assessments and manage patients.
Key Point Summary
Added October 2015

Impact of the physical environment of psychiatric wards on the use of seclusion

Author(s): van der Schaaf, P. S., Dusseldorp, E., Keuning, F. M., Janssen, W. A., Noorthoorn, E. O.
Disturbed behavior and patient aggression within psychiatric wards can threaten both patient and staff safety. To manage these patients, psychiatric wards often will use coercive measures such as solitary confinement. Patient aggression arises from a complex interaction between patient characteristics, staff characteristics, and the characteristics of the physical environment of the psychiatric ward itself. Most studies have focused on the dynamics between patient and staff characteristics; little research has been done to investigate how the physical environment of psychiatric wards might influence patient aggression and subsequently the use of coercive measures.
Key Point Summary
Added October 2015

One size fits all? Mixed methods evaluation of the impact of 100% single-room accommodation on staff and patient experience, safety and costs

Author(s): Maben, J., Griffiths, P., Penfold, C., Simon, M, Anderson, J. E., Robert, G., Pizzo, E., Hughes, J., Murrells, T., Barlow, J.
Authors indicate that despite the trend to adopt single-patient rooms, there is a dearth of strong evidence regarding its effect on healthcare quality and safety. When a hospital in England moved to a new building with 100% single rooms, a before-and-after move study was conducted on patient and staff experience, safety outcomes, and cost analysis. The study found that over two-thirds of the patients and one-fifth of the staff preferred single rooms.
Key Point Summary
Added September 2015

Acoustical Design Features Associated With Noise Level In Health Facilities: The Case Of Dialysis Facilities

Author(s): Bame, S. I., Wells, W.
Added September 2015

Exploring Safety and Quality In a Hemodialysis Environment With Participatory Photographic Methods: A Restorative Approach.

Author(s): Marck, P., Molzahn, A., Berry-Hauf, R., Hutchings, L. G., Hughes, S.
The authors indicate that hemodialysis units can be fraught with numerous safety issues related to medication errors, lapses in communication, patient falls, equipment issues, infection control, etc. These issues can be critical in high-acuity units. This study used qualitative methods to identify existing and potential safety issues in a hemodialysis unit in a tertiary care hospital in Canada.
Key Point Summary
Added September 2015

Centralized and Decentralized Nurse Station Design: An Examination of Caregiver Communication, Work Activities, and Technology

Author(s): Gurascio-Howard, L., Malloch, K.
Patients need to be close to a nurse (RN) for easy access to care and to save travel time. Centralized nurse stations are placed in one location to serve a group of patient rooms.
Key Point Summary
Added August 2015

From “Baby Barn” to the “Single Family Room Designed NICU”: A Report of Staff Perceptions One Year Post Occupancy

Author(s): Cone, S. K., Short, S., Gutcher, G.
Single Family Rooms (SFRs) are becoming an increasingly popular design model in the care of critically ill preterm infants. The advantages of this physical environment to the infant, family and care providers is well documented.
Key Point Summary
Added July 2015

The single-patient room in the NICU: maternal and family effects

Author(s): Pineda, R. G., Stransky, K. E., Rogers, C., Duncan, M. H., Smith, G. C., Neil, J., Inder, T.
The authors allude to the references in literature about the stress associated with being the parent of an infant in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Indicating that the physical environment of a NICU may afford the possibility of alleviating such stress, the authors present the findings of this study which aimed to explore the relationship between the type of NICU room (single-patient versus open bay), parental practices and maternal health.
Key Point Summary
Added July 2015

The Influence of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Design on Sound Level

Author(s): Chen, H.-L., Chen, C.-H., Wu, C.-C., Huang, H.-J., Wang, T.-M., Hsu, C.-C.
Preterm infants receiving care in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are especially susceptible to adverse effects caused by excessive noise. Previous studies indicate that the physical designs of NICUs themselves hold a large influence over the overall noise level.
Key Point Summary
Added July 2015

Impact of the Design of Neonatal Intensive Care Units on Neonates, Staff, and Families: A Systematic Literature Review

Author(s): Shahheidari, M., Homer, C.
The authors indicate that the design of NICUs incorporating single family rooms as evidence indicates this room type contributes to the better development of babies, facilitates increased parental involvement in care, controls infection, and reduces noise and length of stay.
Key Point Summary
Added July 2015