An investigation of noncompliant toilet room designs for assisted toileting
2013
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 6
Pages 43-57
Author(s): Sanford, J., Bosch, S. J.
The American Disability Association created the Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) in 1991 to address the needs of the physically disabled population. A large percentage of the U.S. population requires assistance for daily routine activities, whether it be the aging population or those with conditions that limit mobility, such as arthritis, stroke, or poor balance.
Added September 2014
The Environment of Inpatient Healthcare Delivery and Its Influence on the Outcome of Care
2012
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 6
Pages 104-116
Author(s): O'Connor, M., O'Brien, A., Bloomer, M., Morphett, J., Peters, L., Hall, H., Parry, A., Recoche, K., Lee, S., Munro, I.
There is a growing body of evidence demonstrating that in all healthcare settings, the design of discipline-specific space can influence patients and their health outcomes. The contribution of the physical environment to quality of life and well-being is also supported. Healthcare delivery has changed over the last three decades; however, the authors note that some ICUs and emergency departments have not fully adapted to these changes, whereas palliative care and women’s health have adapted to include more family involvement and patient-driven changes. Environments such as labor and delivery units have benefitted from active consumer involvement in design.
Added September 2014
Factors Impeding Flexible Inpatient Unit Design
2012
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 6
Pages 83-103
Author(s): Pati, D., Evans, J., Harvey, T. E., Bazuin, D.
The physical environment can have a significant impact on operational efficiencies within healthcare environments. In an era of cost curtailment, design interventions that can provide maximum flexibility will become increasingly necessary. Following a 2006 study that identified domains within the design process that affect flexibility within acute care inpatient units, researchers wanted to understand whether domains external to the design process could influence the successful optimization of flexibility within the same environment.
Added September 2014
Effects of Nursing Unit Spatial Layout on Nursing Team Communication Patterns, Quality of Care, and Patient Safety
2012
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 6
Pages 8-38
Author(s): Hua, Y., Becker, F., Wurmser, T., Bliss-Holtz, J., Hedges, C.
A number of studies have looked at the impact of different types of healthcare staff communication on patient outcomes, as communication and collaboration are crucial for patient care. One topic that is starting to be studied but requires more research is the effect of nursing unit layout and design on nurse communication. While traditionally nursing units have a centralized layout with one main nursing station used by all staff in the unit, more recently there has been movement toward other types of layouts in an attempt to impact patient care.
Added September 2014
Design of Admission Medication Reconciliation Technology: A Human Factors Approach to Requirements and Prototyping
2013
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 3
Volume 6
Pages 30-48
Author(s): Lesselroth, B. J., Adams, K., Tallett, S., Wood, S. D., Keeling, A., Cheng, K., Church, V. L., Felder, R., Tran, H.
Added September 2014
Creating a culture of safety: reducing hospital noise
2012
Biomedical Instrumentation & Technology
Journal Article
Issue 5
Volume 46
Pages 350-5
Author(s): Mazer, S. E.
Added September 2014
Environmental cleaning in UK healthcare since the NHS Plan: A policy and evidence based context
2012
Facilities
Journal Article
Issue 1/2
Volume 30
Pages 6-22
Author(s): May, D., Pitt, M.
Added September 2014
Implementation of innovative pulsed xenon ultraviolet (PX-UV) environmental cleaning in an acute care hospital
2014
Journal of Risk Management and Healthcare Policy
Journal Article
Author(s): Fornwalt, L., Riddell, B.
Cleaning of the hospital environment is considered crucial to the prevention of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) and overall patient safety. The authors note that many European and American hospitals use new technologies like ultraviolet (UV) light and hydrogen peroxide vapor to clean their facilities, and that these have been effective in reducing the HAI rates.
Added September 2014
Predictors of mobility among wheelchair using residents in long-term care
2011
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Journal Article
Issue 10
Volume 92
Pages 1587-1593
Author(s): Mortenson, B. W., Miller, W. C., Backman, C. L., Oliffe, J. L.
Added September 2014
Flexibility: Beyond the Buzzword—Practical Findings from a Systematic Literature Beview
2011
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 4
Pages 89-108
Author(s): Carthey, J., Chow, V., Jung, Y. M., Mills, S.
While many healthcare facilities claim to have incorporated flexibility and adaptability into their new design, few have documented the outcomes of such claims. In reality, many healthcare facilities are outdated before they are built and fully occupied. These facilities then require extensive renovation and replacement during their life cycle to respond to changing demands of demographics, technology, and care delivery models.
Added September 2014
Healthcare leadership white paper series - maximizing the impact of nursing care quality: a closer look at the hospital work environment and the nurse’s impact on patient-care quality
2008
The Center for Health Design
Report
Author(s): Hendrich, A.L., Chow, M.
Current hospital work environments have inefficient work processes, physical designs, technology infrastructure, and organizational cultures that cause inefficiencies and nursing stressors that compromise direct patient care.
Added September 2014
An Evaluation of Operating Room Safety and Efficiency: Pilot Utilization of a Structured Focus Group Format and Three-Dimensional Video Mock-Up To Inform Design Decision Making
2011
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 5
Pages 6-22
Author(s): Watkins, N., Kobelja, M., Peavey, E., Thomas, S., Lyon, J.
While surgical and interventional procedures are the most profitable services within the hospital, the cost of building and maintaining an OR can quickly reduce the profitability of running an OR. Due to this precarious balance of revenue and cost, the planning and design of an OR should look to reduce injury to staff and prevent unnecessary costs, while increasing operational efficiencies.
Added September 2014
Evaluation of the Built Environment: Staff and Family Satisfaction Pre- and Post-Occupancy of The Children's Hospital
2011
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 4
Pages 60-78
Author(s): Kotzer, A. M., Zacharakis, S. K., Raynolds, M., Buenning, F.
As healthcare organizations begin to address the issues of quality and safety, patient-centered care, and emerging technologies through the replacement of old and outdated facilities, understanding the impact of the built environment on patient and staff health outcomes becomes increasingly necessary to make valued decisions throughout the process.
Added September 2014
Integrating Electronic Health Records in the Physical Environment: A Systems Approach
2008
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 2
Pages 48-65
Author(s): Rich, C. R., Day, T. D.
Added September 2014
Mock-Ups as “Interactive Laboratories”: Mixed Methods Research Using Inpatient Unit Room Mock-Ups
2008
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 2
Pages 66-81
Author(s): Watkins, N., Myers, D., Villasante, R.
Simulations allow designers and researchers an opportunity to evaluate how users may interact with a proposed environment prior to the construction of a design. While mock-ups have been used in healthcare environments to assess the efficacy of design solutions, to help clients experience proposed design decisions, and to make changes prior to the building phase and evaluate products and technology, minimal literature exists detailing multiple or mixed methods that can be used to evaluate the results associated with the use of mock-ups from a participatory, qualitative, and quantitative perspective.
Added September 2014
Nursing unit design and communication patterns: What is “real” work?
2007
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 1
Volume 1
Pages 58-62
Author(s): Becker, F.
With billions of dollars spent each year on new hospital construction and an ever-growing shortage of nurses, more attention is being paid to the way in which design of new facilities and, more specifically, nursing units might better support nurse recruitment, their work process, and retention. There is growing concern about the quality of hospital environments and the impact on staff, which inherently impacts quality of care.
Added September 2014
Exploring the Impact of the Physical Environment on Patient Outcomes in Ambulatory Care Settings
2009
HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
Journal Article
Issue 2
Volume 2
Pages 21-41
Author(s): Gulwadi, G., Joseph, A., Keller, A.
Recent trends in healthcare have seen a shift in treating episodic care within acute care environments to ambulatory care centers (ACCs). These facilities distribute care based upon prevention and wellness to combat chronic disease and provide care management. Ambulatory care environments consist of a broad platform of care settings and deliver many types of care to a wide range of populations. Due to these and other complexities, research linking the impact of the physical design of ACCs on patient health outcomes has yet to be documented.
Added September 2014
Applying human factors in improving medication-use safety
2002
American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy
Journal Article
Issue 12
Volume 59
Pages 1155-1159
Author(s): Schneider,PJ.
In this descriptive study the author summarizes the highlights of an interactive conference on human factors (HF) and t applications to improve medication safety. The author describes the various human factors concepts and tools and their applications in reducing human errors, thus improving medication safety.
Added May 2014
Centralized vs. Decentralized Nursing Stations: Effects on Nurses’ Functional Use of Space and Work Environment
2010
Health Environments Research and Design Journal (HERD)
Journal Article
Issue 4
Volume 3
Pages 19-42
Author(s): Zborowsky, T., Bunker Hellmich, L., Morelli, A., O’Neill, M.
Information technology enables nurses to move away from traditional centralized paper-charting stations to smaller decentralized work stations and charting substations located closer to, or inside of, patient rooms. Understanding the tradeoffs presented by centralized and decentralized nursing station design could provide useful information for future design and the nurse environment "fit."
Added May 2014
Effects of Acuity-Adaptable Rooms on Flow of Patients and Delivery of Care
2004
American Journal of Critical Care
Journal Article
Author(s): Hendrich, A. L., Fay, J., Sorrells, A.
Acuity-adaptable rooms could reduce patient transfer times, decrease costs, and increase patient quality of care and satisfaction. Researchers conducted a pre/post study in an acute care setting to evaluate the impact of moving to acuity-adaptable rooms on patient flow, hospital capacity, patient and staff satisfaction, sentinel events, average length of stay, and nursing productivity.
Added May 2014
