Journal
HERD-HEALTH ENVIRONMENTS RESEARCH & DESIGN JOURNAL
Volume 1, Issue 3, Pages 61-125Publisher
SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC
DOI: 10.1177/193758670800100306
Keywords
Evidence-based design; hospital design; healthcare design; healthcare quality; outcomes; patient safety; staff safety; infection; hand washing; medical errors; falls; pain; sleep; stress; depression; confidentiality; social support; satisfaction; single rooms; noise; nature; daylight
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Objective: This report surveys and evaluates the scientific research on evidence-based healthcare design and extracts its implications for designing better and safer hospitals. Background: It builds on a literature review conducted by researchers in 2004. Methods: Research teams conducted a new and more exhaustive search for rigorous empirical studies that link the design of hospital physical environments with healthcare outcomes. The review followed a two-step process, including an extensive search for existing literature, and a screening of each identified study for the relevance and quality of evidence. Results: This review found a growing body of rigorous studies to guide healthcare design, especially with respect to reducing the frequency of hospital-acquired infections. Results are organized according to three general types of outcomes: patient safety, other patient outcomes, and staff outcomes. The findings further support the importance of improving outcomes for a range of design characteristics or interventions, including single-bed rooms rather than multibed rooms, effective ventilation systems, a good acoustic environment, nature distractions and daylight, appropriate lighting, better ergonomic design, acuity-adaptable rooms, and improved floor layouts and work settings. Directions for future research are also identified. Conclusions: The state of knowledge of evidence-based healthcare design has grown rapidly in recent years. The evidence indicates that well-designed physical settings play an important role in making hospitals safer and more healing for patients, and better places for staff to work.
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