Bed and Toilet Height as Potential Environmental Risk Factors.
2008
Clinical Nursing Research
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 17
Pages 50-66
Author(s): Capezuti, E., Wagner, L., Brush, B. L., Boltz, M., Renz, S., Secic, M.
Approximately 60 percent of all nursing home residents have difficulty transferring out of bed independently. The ability to safely rise to a standing position is an important determinant of independence among older adults. The ability to transfer out of bed from a sit to stand position is dependent on several general patient characteristics such as age, functional status, and disease state.
Added August 2014
A collaborative occupational therapy and nursing approach to falls prevention in hospital inpatients.
1999
Journal of Quality in Clinical Practice
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 19
Pages 215-220
Author(s): Brandis, S.
It is estimated that one-third of elderly people fall each year', with general agreement that there are many associated factors.
Added August 2014
Evaluation of a comprehensive slip, trip and fall prevention programme for hospital employees
2008
Ergonomics
Journal Article
Issue 12
Volume 51
Pages 1906-1925
Author(s): Bell, J.L., Collins, J.W., Wolf, L., Grönqvist, R., Chiou, S., Chang, W.R., Sorock, G.S., Courtney, T.K., Lombardi, D.A., Evanoff, B.
Recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data indicate that total slips, trips, and fall-related injuries account for the second greatest proportion (30 percent) of all work-related emergency department visits requiring hospitalization. Since slips, trips, and falls result from a wide variety of circumstances, there are a number of countermeasures with the potential to reduce slips, trips, and fall injury incidents. These include slip-resistant shoes floor surfaces, mats, and waxes, prompt cleaning of spillage and debris, keeping stairs and walkways clear, improving lighting, adding handrails, and clearing ice and snow.
Added August 2014
Evaluating the use of a targeted multiple intervention strategy in reducing patient falls in an acute care hospital: a randomized controlled trial
2011
Journal of Advanced Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 9
Volume 67
Pages 1984-1992
Author(s): Ang, E., Mordiffi, S. Z., Wong, H. B.
Prevention of patient falls remains a challenge that has eluded healthcare institutions. The effectiveness of targeted multiple fall prevention interventions in reducing the incidences of falling has not been established.
Added August 2014
The Experience of a Community Hospital in Quantifying and Reducing Patient Falls.
2000
Journal of Nursing Care Quality
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 14
Pages 43-53
Author(s): Alcée, D.
While patient falls always were reported to the Hospital Quality Management Committee and to the Nursing Quality Management Committee at John T. Mather Memorial Hospital, most reports were made anecdotally. There was no critical review of the cause and effect of falls nor was there any "trending" on a month-to-month basis. Questions raised about specific falls that resulted in patient injuries led Nursing Administration to conduct a retrospective review of all patient falls.
Added August 2014
Evaluation of Ceiling Lifts in Health Care Settings Patient Outcome and Perceptions
2009
American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Journal
Journal Article
Issue 9
Volume 57
Pages 374-380
Author(s): Alamgir, H., L,i O. W., Yu, S., Gorman, E., Kidd, C.
Ceiling lifts have been introduced into healthcare settings to reduce manual patient lifting and thus occupational injuries. Although growing evidence supports the effectiveness of ceiling lifts, a paucity of research exists to link indicators, such as quality of patient care or patient perceptions, to the use of these transfer devices.
Added August 2014
Infection Prevention Promotion Program Based on the PRECEDE Model: Improving Hand Hygiene Behaviors Among Healthcare Personnel
2012
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 33
Pages 144-151
Author(s): Aboumatar, H., Ristaino, P., Davis, R. O., Thompson, C. B., Maragakis, L., Cosgrove, S., Rosenstein, B., Perl, T. M.
Hand hygiene is critical to prevent transmission of multidrug-resistant organisms and the development of healthcare-associated infections, yet compliance with recommendations is poor.
Added August 2014
Comparative study on efficacy of different alcohol hand rubs and routine hand wash in a health-care setting, Alexandria, Egypt.
2010
Journal of the Egypt Public Health Association
Journal Article
Issue 5 & 6
Volume 85
Pages 273-283
Author(s): Abaza, A. F.,, Amine, A. E., Hazzah, W. A.
Hand hygiene, which refers to routine hand wash, antiseptic hand wash, antiseptic hand rub, or surgical hand antisepsis, is universally acknowledged as a cornerstone of the prevention of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). The impact of hand hygiene depends not only on the regularity and thoroughness of the procedures used but also on the type of hand-washing agent selected.
Added August 2014
A randomized controlled trial to prevent patient lift and transfer injuries of health care workers
2001
Spine
Journal Article
Issue 16
Volume 26
Pages 1739-1746
Author(s): Yassi, A., Cooper, J. E., Tate, R. B., Gerlach, S., Muir, M., Trottier, J., Massey, K., Abushousheh, A.
Back injury to nursing staff during patient-handling tasks is a major issue in healthcare. The value of mechanical assistive devices in reducing injuries to these workers is unclear.
Added July 2014
Evidence-based design for infants and staff in the neonatal intensive care unit
2004
Clinics in Perinatology
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 31
Pages 299–311
Author(s): Shepley, M. M.
There has been a marked increase in evidence-based studies relating to neonatal intensive care units in pediatric healthcare literature. While it is acknowledged that clinical, operational, and social dimensions play the most significant role in healing, the physical environment has also been universally identified as a critical factor. Conscientious architects are becoming increasingly aware of the impact of design decisions on the sensory environment of the neonatal intensive care unit.
Added July 2014
A decade of adult intensive care unit design: a study of the physical design features of the best-practice examples
2006
Critical Care Nursing Quarterly
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 29
Pages 282-311
Author(s): Rashid, M., Abushousheh, A.
This article reports a study of the physical design characteristics of a set of adult intensive care units (ICUs), built between 1993 and 2003. These ICUs were recognized as the best-practice examples by the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, and the American Institute of Architects.
Added July 2014
Objective evaluation of the effect of noise on the performance of a complex laparoscopic task
2004
Surgery
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 136
Pages 25-30
Author(s): Moorthy, K., Munz, Y., Undre, S., Darzi A.
Noise in operating rooms has been found to be as much as two times higher than the recommended level of 45 dB. Music is played in some operating rooms to reduce patient anxiety, increase the surgeon’s concentration, and mask noise in the operating theater. While some studies have shown the detrimental effect of noise and the beneficial effects of music on patients in the OR, few studies have covered the effects of these factors on the performance of medical staff.
Added July 2014
Use of Mechanical Patient Lifts Decreased Musculoskeletal Symptoms and Injuries Among Health Care Workers
2004
Injury Prevention
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 10
Pages 212-216
Author(s): Li, J., Wolf, L., Evanoff, B.
Healthcare workers experience high rates of work-related musculoskeletal injuries, which are often the result of the frequent patient lifting and transferring required of healthcare workers. Studies suggest that mechanical patient lifts can help reduce musculoskeletal injury rates.
Added July 2014
Influence of Role Models and Hospital Design on the Hand Hygiene of Health-Care Workers
2003
Emerging Infectious Diseases
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 9
Pages 217-223
Author(s): Lankford, M. G., Zembower, T. R., Trick, W. E., Hacek, D. M., Noskin, G. A., Peterson, L. R.
One of the key components for limiting spread of healthcare–associated infectious disease is the practice of adequate infection control. A cornerstone of infection control is ensuring that healthcare workers wash their hands at appropriate times. Some reports suggest that role models, group behavior, and the level of managerial support influence reported levels of compliance. However, few studies have prospectively evaluated the association between hand-hygiene compliance and building design.
Added July 2014
Ceiling lifts reduce patient-handling injuries
2006
Healthcare Design
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 6
Pages 10-13
Author(s): Joseph, A., Fritz, L.
Nurses and nurse aides who have direct interaction with patients, performing manual lifting and transferring activities, are at a particularly high risk of injury and back pain. There are significant reductions in the incidence of injury when staff uses mechanical lift equipment vs. manual lifting techniques. In comparison with floor mechanical lift equipment, ceiling-mounted lifts are superior due to their ease of use, storage, and patient safety.
Added July 2014
Perceived hospital environment quality indicators: A study of orthopaedic units
2006
Journal of Environmental Psychology
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 26
Pages 321-334
Author(s): Fornara, F., Bonaiuto, M., Bonnes, M.
The field of healthcare design has increasingly recognized the need for building environments that are more ‘‘user-centered,’’ but spatial–physical features have not typically been included in assessment surveys on patient satisfaction.
Added July 2014
Elderhood in Eden
2003
Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 19
Pages 282-290
Author(s): Thomas, W. H., Johansson, C.
Increasing numbers of our elders are entering nursing homes and assisted living facilities every day. The Eden Alternative and the new Green House Project, offer a fundamentally different way of looking at elderhood. The premise: caring for our elders in places that are much more like gardens and much less like institutions results in enhanced quality of life as well as improved clinical outcomes.
Added July 2014
Legionnaires' Disease in Long-Term Care Facilities: Overview and Proposed Solutions
2005
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 53
Pages 875-880
Author(s): Seenivasan, M. H., Yu, V. L., Muder, R. R.
Legionnaires’ disease is a notable problem in acute care settings. Legionnaires’ disease has been shown to be an important cause of community- and hospital-acquired pneumonia. In hospitals with Legionella colonization of the water systems, hospital-acquired legionellosis is frequently endemic, accounting for 10% to 40% of hospital-acquired pneumonias. Legionnaires’ disease also accounts for 2% to 15% of community-acquired pneumonia. In contrast, the incidence of Legionnaires’ disease in long-term care residents is not clearly delineated.
Added July 2014
Long-term care physical environments- effect on medication errors
2012
International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 25
Pages 431-441
Author(s): Mahmood, A., Chaudhury, H., Gaumont, A., Rust, T.
Medication errors contribute significantly to patient morbidity and mortality, and are associated with considerable healthcare costs, as well. The human and financial costs following preventable medical errors are high; data in the United States suggest an estimated 44,000 inpatients die each year from preventable medical errors. Nationally, preventable adverse event costs have been estimated at $17 billion.
Added July 2014
Effects of indoor gardening on sleep, agitation, and cognition in dementia patients - A pilot study
2008
International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 23
Pages 485-489
Author(s): Lee, Y., Kim, S.
Pharmacological intervention including sedative hypnotics and neuroleptics is a common treatment for sleep and behavioral problems in dementia. However, the high risk of adverse effects of those drugs indicates that non-pharmacological interventions are needed as well. Among those non-pharmacological interventions physical activity is one approach that influences the circadian timing system and was suggested to be effective for sleep and behavioral disturbances of dementia patients. In addition, the positive effects of physical activities, especially exercise, on cognition were suggested.
Added July 2014
