Access and care issues in urban urgent care clinic patients
2009
BMC Health Services Research
Journal Article
Author(s): Scott, D. , Batal, H. , Majeres, S, Adams, J. , Dale, R. , Mehler, P.
Patients generally seek care in urgent care settings because doing so is more convenient than alternative care options, and the care provided is timelier.
Added February 2014
Empowering staff nurses to use research to change practice for safe patient handling
2012
Nursing Outlook
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 60
Pages 157-162
Author(s): Krill, C., Staffileno, B.A. , Raven, C.
Nursing is one of the top 10 occupations for work-related musculoskeletal disorders, often stemming from patient handling, which is unpredictable and performed in awkward positions and unfavorable conditions. The authors of this paper created a safe patient handling or ergonomic program that combines patient-handling equipment and devices, education, patient care ergonomic assessment protocols, no-lift policies, and patient-lift teams.
Added January 2014
Falls Aren't Us: State of the Science
2009
Critical Care Nursing Quarterly
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 32
Pages 116-127
Author(s): Cozart, H. T., Cesario, S. K.
Falls among the elderly can cause serious injury and sometimes even be fatal. However, in healthcare settings, many of these accidents can be avoided with fall-prevention interventions. The ninth goal of The Joint Commission is environmental intervention and addresses safety features such as patients’ introduction to hospital surroundings, appropriate lighting and noise reduction, call alarms, as well as reachable and available grab rails.
Added January 2014
Performance Obstacles of Intensive Care Nurses
2007
Nursing Research
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 56
Pages 185-194
Author(s): Gurses, A. P., Carayon, P.
There is little research about how the work environment of intensive care nurses impacts nursing outcomes and patient safety. Yet performance obstacles hinder intensive care nurses’ ability to perform their jobs.
Added January 2014
The Extrinsic Risk Factors for Inpatient Falls in Hospital Patient Rooms
2008
Journal of Nursing Care Quality
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 23
Pages 233–241
Author(s): Tzeng, H., Yin, C.
A hospital can be a dangerous place for inpatients because of its unfamiliar physical environment and changes in patients’ medical conditions. Some research shows that a better physical facility design leads to better healthcare outcomes, such as fewer patient falls in acute-care hospitals. Eliminating the extrinsic risk factors for inpatient falls by improving hospital environment and design may decrease fall rates and fall-related injuries, although this link has not been examined systematically.
Added January 2014
Interruptions and Geographic Challenges to Nurses' Cognitive Workload
2009
Journal of Nursing Care Quality
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 24
Pages 194–200
Author(s): Redding, D., Robinson, S.
Inpatient care is fast-paced and requires nurses to constantly shift their attention to make clinical decisions and care for patients in a constantly environment. Nurses integrate complex thinking with psychomotor and affective skills to deliver interventions. This thinking is continually disrupted by interruptions and distractions, which compete for their attention and can lead to errors or omissions and potentially pose a risk to patient safety.
Added January 2014
Impact of Medication Storage Cabinets on Efficient Delivery of Medication and Employee Frustration
2010
Journal of Nursing Care Quality
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 25
Pages 352-357
Author(s): Hull, T., Czirr, L. , Wilson, M.
Safe medication administration is essential to ensuring positive patient outcomes and is a priority in healthcare institutions. Recent innovations in technology and automation are designed to eliminate errors as well as move activities closer to the patient’s bedside to improve nursing workflow. It has been postulated that moving medications and supplies closer to the point of care reduces nurses’ traveling time and makes it easier to administer medication.
Added January 2014
Person-Environment Interactions Contributing to Nursing Home Resident Falls
2009
Research in Gerontological Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 2
Pages 287-294
Author(s): Hill, E. E., Nguyen, T. H., Shaha, M., Wenzel, J. A., DeForge, B. R., Spellbring, A. M.
Falls are common for older adults, with significant consequences, including injuries and even death as well as healthcare costs. However, few studies have looked at environmental factors, such as lighting, equipment, and slippery floor surfaces, as potential risk factors for falls by nursing home residents. This study explores the risk factors associated with resident falls in a nursing home using a focus group.
Added January 2014
Noise in the Operating Room—What Do We Know? A Review of the Literature
2010
Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 6
Volume 25
Pages 380-386
Author(s): Hasfeldt, D., Laerkner, E., Birkelund, R.
Noise is a general stressor and should be avoided in the operating room (OR). However, over the last 10 years, while the focus has been on preventing air pollution and maximizing sterility in the OR, very little attention has gone toward preventing noise pollution. Meanwhile, there is more and more noisy technological equipment in the OR, and it can be assumed that problems with noise in the OR have not decreased.
Added January 2014
Assessing the mirrors in long-term care homes: a preliminary survey
Journal of Gerontological Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 36
Pages 34-40
Author(s): Freysteinson, W. M.
According to geriatric environmental design literature, bringing the home to the long-term care (LTC) environment is key to residents’ comfort. However, the mirror is one environmental element that has received little attention in LTC environments, and yet appears to meet this conceptualization. Mirrors may fit with Lawton’s theory in that it functions to maintain, support, and stimulate the residents, perhaps even more so for those who have limited mobility.
Added January 2014
Medication Room Madness: Calming the Chaos
2010
Journal of Nursing Care Quality
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 25
Pages 137-144
Author(s): Conrad, C., Fields, W., McNamara, T., Cone, M., Atkins, P.
This article describes a medication safety project that wanted to improve the physical design and organizational layout of the medication room, reduce nurse interruptions and distractions, and create a standard medication process for enhanced patient safety and efficiency. This successful change improved the medication administration process, decreased medication errors, and enhanced nursing satisfaction.
Added December 2013
Improving patient safety in inpatient units--A Canadian Context
2012
Healthcare Design Magazine
Magazine Article
Issue 6
Volume 12
Pages 12–15,17
Author(s): Cochrane, P., Nishimura, J., Spencer, G., Taylor, E.
Added April 2013
Pebbles Aim For Hospitals That Are Cleaner, Greener, And Safer
2009
Healthcare Design Magazine
Magazine Article
Issue 4
Volume 9
Pages 16-20
Author(s): Keller, A., Zensius, N.
Added March 2013
Antimicrobial drug use and infection control practices associated with the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in European hospitals
2007
Clinical Microbiology and Infection
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 13
Pages 269-276
Author(s): MacKenzie, F. M., Bruce, J., Struelens, M. J., Goossens, H., Mollison, J., Gould, I. M.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a type of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics such as methicillin and cephalosporins. MRSA may cause serious infections to patients with open wounds, invasive devices, and weakened immune systems, which are in some cases extremely difficult to treat. In recent years, the rate of MRSA infections has been increasing globally and causing high morbidity, mortality, and healthcare cost.
Added October 2012
Effects of different interior decorations in the seclusion area of a psychiatric acute ward
2005
Nordic Journal of Psychiatry
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 59
Pages 19-24
Author(s): Vaaler, A.E., Morken, G., Linaker, O.M.
Seclusion, or containment of a patient in an enclosed area, is a common practice in psychiatric acute wards. Traditionally such areas have been used for the dual purpose of meeting the safety and containment needs of behaviorally disturbed patients, and obtaining a decrease in sensory and emotional input (based on the belief that external stimuli would cause patients to suffer excessive mental anxiety). The design and furnishings of the seclusion area are influenced by this need to reduce external stimuli and maintain safety. They are typically sparsely furnished minimizing risk of any physical harm.
Added October 2012
The effect of bedrails on falls and injury: a systematic review of clinical studies
2008
Age and Ageing
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 37
Pages 368-378
Author(s): Healey, F., Oliver, D. , Milne, A., Connelly, J.B.
Falls and injury are a significant concern in healthcare and are linked to the never events. Around 1/4th of the falls in healthcare settings are from the bed. However, the literature on the role of bedrails in fall prevention is controversial and the prevailing opinion is that bedrails can be harmful and ineffective.
Added October 2012
Distraction therapy with nature sights and sounds reduces pain during flexible bronchoscopy: A complementary approach to routine analgesia
2003
Chest
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 123
Pages 941-948
Author(s): Diette, G.B., Lechtzin, N, Haponik, E, Devrotes, A, Rubin, H
The demand for better healthcare includes the demand for proper treatment of pain. Joint commission standards for maintaining accreditation also apply to chronic medical conditions and the management of pain. Non-pharmacological methods of managing pain have gained popularity because patients can continue to experience pain despite the use of premedication analgesics and sedatives. Besides there are often side-effects associated with any use of medication. This is of particular concern for invasive procedures such as Flexible Bronchoscopy (FB) that can be frightening and painful for patients.
Added October 2012
The ventilation of multiple-bed hospital wards: Review and analysis
2008
American Journal of Infection Control
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 36
Pages 250-9
Author(s): Beggs, C.B., Kevin, G., Noakes, C.J., Hathway, A., Andrewsleigh, P.
Ventilation is a key concern in hospitals, however this has received less attention in the context of hospital wards, as compared to operating theaters or isolation rooms which have a high risk of infections. In many countries in the world where private rooms are not yet the norm, the issue of ventilation in multi-bed rooms is a critical concern. This paper undertakes a review of guidelines in the UK and the US around this issue.
Added October 2012
A comparison of patient and staff satisfaction with services after relocating to a new purpose-built mental health facility
2009
Australian Psychiatry
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 17
Pages 212-217
Author(s): Cleary, M., Hunt, G., Walter, G.
The physical environment of a hospital can support recovery from mental illness. Mental health patients are extremely vulnerable to changes in their environments. The paper reports on the impact on patients and staff of a relocation of Australia’s oldest and largest psychiatric hospitals, Sydney’s Rozelle Hospital. The new 174-bed purpose-built meant health facility provided patients with their own rooms within single story units. Further, patients were grouped in wards based on the phase of their illness and required treatment.
Added October 2012
Effect of Sacred Space Environment on Surgical Patient Outcomes: A Pilot Study
2009
International Journal for Human Caring
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 13
Pages 49-59
Author(s): Schmock, B. N., Breckenridge, D. M., Benedict, K.
With the growing trend to patient-centered care, nurses are often tasked to evaluate how care is delivered. The perioperative environment is highly technical in nature and is often perceived as cold, while creating a sense of fear in patients. This study's purpose was to create an alternative healing environment (termed a sacred space and comprised of both environmental and nurse behavioral factors) compared to the traditional environment for surgical patients in the operating room (OR).
Added October 2012
