Promoting physical activity in rural communities: Walking trail access, use, and effects
2000
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 18
Pages 235-241
Author(s): Brownson, R. C., Housemann, R. A., Brown, D. R., Jackson-Thompson, J, King, A. C., Malone, B. R., Sallis, J. F.
The health benefits of physical activity are well established. Physical activity contributes to a lower risk of coronary heart disease, as well as a variety of other chronic diseases including hypertension, non-insulin-dependent diabetes (Type 2), osteoarthritis, and osteoporosis. To promote physical activity, more environmental and policy strategies are needed. Examples of environmental and policy approaches to increase physical activity include walking and bicycle trails, liability legislation, zoning and land use, mall walking programs, building construction that encourages physical activity, policies and incentives promoting physical activity during the workday, and policies requiring comprehensive school physical health education programs.
Added April 2014
The Impact of Virtual Reality Distraction on Pain and Anxiety during Dental Treatment in 4-6 Year-Old Children: a Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial
2012
Journal of Dental Research, Dental Clinics, Dental Prospects
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 6
Pages 117-124
Author(s): Aminabadi, N. A., Erfanparast, L., Oskouei, S. G., Naghili, A.
Immersive distraction techniques have been shown to be an effective method to control anxiety and pain in children during dental treatment.
Added April 2014
Impact of Music Therapy Interventions (Listening, Composition, Orff-Based) on the Physiological and Psychosocial Behaviors of Hospitalized Children: A Feasibility Study
2013
Journal of Pediatric Nursing
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 28
Pages 249-257
Author(s): Colwell, C. M., Edwards, R., Hernandez, E., Brees, K.
The hospital experience can impact the physical and mental health of a child. Prior research has shown that music therapy can have a positive effect on mood, anxiety, respiratory distress, and behavioral distress. And although listening to music is the most common form of music therapy, songwriting and physically making music have also been used as a positive coping strategy for children within a hospital environment.
Added April 2014
Physical Environment: The Major Determinant Towards the Creation of a Healing Environment?
2011
Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences
Journal Article
Volume 30
Pages 1951-1958
Author(s): Abbas, M. Y., Ghazali, R.,
Prior research suggests that the pediatric population’s heightened perception of the quality of the physical environment can have an impact on the creation of a healing environment.
Added April 2014
Considering the impact of medicine label design characteristics on patient safety
2006
Ergonomics
Journal Article
Issue 5-6
Volume 49
Pages 617-30
Author(s): Hellier, E. , Edworthy, J. , Derbyshire, N. , Costello, A.
The premise of this study is that there is sufficient evidence-based research in areas such as food labeling, chemical labeling, and general warnings that provides systematic evidence on the effects of medication label design characteristics such as font size, color, use of specific language and signal words/warnings on performance behavioral variables such as safety, compliance, understandability, and discriminability.
Added April 2014
A novel night lighting system for postural control and stability in seniors
2008
Lighting Research and Technology
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 40
Pages 111-126
Author(s): Figueiro, M. G., Gras, L., Qi, R., Rizzo, P., Rea, M., Rea, M. S.
Age-related changes may result in impaired balance control, and thus can lead to increase risk of falls among the elderly. Visual information provides a spatial reference for self-position and location of obstacles within a person’s environment. Lack of this information results in increased body sway. In addition, low ambient light levels reduce postural control. Therefore, this study investigated the effectiveness of a novel self-luminous light emitting diode (LED) night-lighting system that provided linear spatial orientation cues plus low ambient lighting for enhancing postural control in healthy seniors.
Added April 2014
Being hospitalized with a newly- diagnosed chronic illness - A phenomenological study of children’s lifeworld in the hospital
2012
International Journal of Qualitative Studies Health Well-Being
Journal Article
Author(s): Ekra, E. M. R., Gjengedal, E.
Research regarding children within the hospital environment has typically been investigated using adult insight into the needs and preferences of children. However, current research has begun to use the child’s perspective to gain understanding on how the quality of the hospital environment influences the child’s experiences when facing an illness that requires hospitalization.
Added April 2014
Quality Improvement Practices: Enhancing Quality of Life During Mealtimes
2001
Journal for Nurses in Staff Development
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 17
Pages 131-136
Author(s): Evans, B. C., Crogan, N. L.
Studies identified that malnutrition affects up to 54% of the 1.5 million Americans over age 65 who reside in the nation’s 20,000 nursing homes and can lead to death or chronic disability. Physical causes of malnutrition include altered sensation, medication effects, and impaired feeding ability. Psychological causes include cognitive impairment, depression, and social isolation. Mealtime is also a very important time of day for residents of nursing homes since it is a time for socialization, remembering family and past events, and enjoying the sensory experience of eating. The mealtime experience can enhance the quality of life for residents in nursing homes.
Added April 2014
Inclusive Indoor Play: Children at play
2009
Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting
Journal Article
Volume 53rd Annual meeting
Author(s): Endicott, S., Kar, G., Mullick, A.
Prior research has shown that children with disabilities exhibit a more limited play repertoire than children without disabilities, due to barriers within indoor play environments that do not allow for equitable play amongst all children. This study is one part of the Inclusive Indoor Play project. This research project seeks to develop universal guidelines for design within indoor play environments, and design models of play environments that are inclusive to all children.
Added April 2014
Quality Physical Environment in Paediatric Wards: Designer’s Creation Versus Users’ Satisfaction
2012
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences
Journal Article
Author(s): Ghazali, R., Abbas, M. Y.
Prior research has revealed that an optimal healing environment can enhance a child’s quality of life by supporting the healing process. However, little has been done to identify specific design features within an optimal healing environment that either impede or aid the healing process.
Added April 2014
Effectiveness of overhead lifting devices in reducing the risk of injury to care staff in extended care facilities
2005
Ergonomics
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 48
Pages 187-199
Author(s): Engst, C., Chhokar, R. , Miller, A., Tate, R. B., Yassi, A.
Healthcare facilities often install mechanical lifts to help staff avoid injuries from patient handling. However, some mechanical lifts require more time and space and are not always as comfortable, safe, and secure as manual patient handling. Few studies have used a prospective controlled design to evaluate the effectiveness of ceiling lifts in reducing risk of musculoskeletal injury to care staff; increasing staff satisfaction; and assessing preferred methods of lifting, transferring, and repositioning residents.
Added April 2014
Suicide amongst psychiatric inpatients who abscond from the ward: a national clinical survey
2010
BMC Psychiatry
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 10
Pages 14
Author(s): Hunt, I. M., Windfuhr, K., Swinson, N., Shaw, J., Appleby, L., Kapur, N.
Research studies have shown that about 34-39% of patients in psychiatric wards go absconding. The goal of this study was to describe the social and clinical characteristics of people who had absconded from an inpatient psychiatric ward prior to suicide, including aspects of the clinical care they received.
Added April 2014
Suicide in recently admitted psychiatric inpatients: a case-control study
2013
Journal of Affective Disorders
Journal Article
Issue 1-2
Volume 144
Pages 123-128
Author(s): Hunt, M., Bickley, H., Windfuhr, K., Shaw, J., Appleby, L., Kapur, N.
Research studies have shown that the risk of hospitalized patients dying by suicide is still extremely high—around 40 to 50 times higher than in the general population. A number of studies have reported that the first week of admission is a time of particularly acute risk.
Added April 2014
The Effect of Aromatherapy Massage With Music on the Stress and Anxiety Levels of Emergency Nurses
2005
Australian Emergency Nursing Journal
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 8
Pages 43-50
Author(s): Davis, C., Cooke, M., Holzhauser, K., Jones, M., Finucane, J.
Nurses who work in emergency and intensive care units and new graduates suffer from high levels of stress, which is associated with sick leave. Some research shows that massage with aromatherapy relieves stress. However, this research is not specific to emergency room nursing staff.
Added April 2014
Emergency Department Security Programs, Community Crime, and Employee Assaults
2012
The Journal of Emergency Medicine
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 42
Pages 329-38
Author(s): Blando, J.D. , McGreevy, K., O’Hagan, E. , Worthington, K. , Valiante, D., Nocera, M. , Casteel, C. , Peek-Asa, C.
Violence against healthcare workers is a serious occupational health hazard, particularly for Emergency Department (ED) employees. Injuries from non-fatal assaults are estimated to be four to 12 times higher among healthcare workers when compared to the overall rate for all private sector employees in the United States. Nationally, only voluntary guidelines exist from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for the protection of healthcare workers. The ED has been identified as one of the highest risk areas for violence within the hospital.
Added April 2014
The Effect of Environmental Design on Reducing Nursing Errors and Increasing Efficiency in Acute Care Settings: A Review and Analysis of the Literature
2009
Environment and Behavior
Journal Article
Issue 6
Volume 41
Pages 755-786
Author(s): Chaudhury, H., Mahmood, A., Valente, M.
In acute care settings, the physical environment plays an important role in staff efficiency and patient safety. Some research suggests that poor environments can result in staff stress, anxiety, and distractions due to noise; artificial lighting; improper or inadequate ventilation; and disorienting layouts of nursing units. There is less research on how environmental factors affect nursing staff health, effectiveness, errors, and job satisfaction.
Added April 2014
Nurses’ Perception of Single-Occupancy Versus Multioccupancy Rooms in Acute Care Environments: An Exploratory Comparative Assessment
2006
Applied Nursing Research
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 19
Pages 118-125
Author(s): Chaudhury, H., Mahmood, A., Valente, M.
As people are living longer and the baby boomers age, the demand for hospital beds will increase. As new facilities are built to handle this influx of patients, the challenge for hospital designers and administrators is to design patient rooms that promote therapeutic goals, foster positive patient outcomes, and function as intensive care rooms. Recent research suggests that single-occupancy rooms are more suitable for infection control and patient care than multioccupancy rooms. However, no research has been done about nursing staff members’ perception of single-occupancy and multioccupancy patient rooms in acute care settings as it relates to patient care.
Added April 2014
Enhancing the traditional hospital design process: a focus on patient safety
March 2004
The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Safety
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 30
Pages 115-24
Author(s): Reiling, J.G., Knutzen, B.L., Wallen, T.K., McCullough, S. , Miller, R., Chernos, S.
The current study is an overview of innovative system engineering and patient safety factors, named as the Synergy model that a hospital system utilized to design their new facility.
Added April 2014
Environmental evaluation for workplace violence in healthcare and social services
2008
Journal of Safety Research
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 39
Pages 237-50
Author(s): McPhaul, K.M. , Murrett, K., Flannery, K. , Rosen, J., Lipscomb, J., London, M.
The purpose of this project was to contribute specific, evidence–based guidance to the healthcare and social services employer communities regarding the use of environmental design to prevent violence.
Added April 2014
Medication Errors Observed in 36 Healthcare Facilities
2002
Archives of Internal Medicine
Journal Article
Issue 16
Volume 162
Pages 1897-1903
Author(s): Barker, K. N., Flynn, E. A., Pepper, G. A., Bates, D. W., Mikeal, R. L.
The authors in this study aimed to measure and compare the medication error rates at 36 healthcare facilities in Georgia and Colorado. Three different facility types were randomly stratified and included in the study; Joint Commission accredited hospitals, Joint Commission non-accredited hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. The main aim was to observe if the medication error rates in these healthcare settings differ by facility type (by bed size) or by State.
Added April 2014
