A Review of the Research Literature on Evidence-Based Healthcare Design

Abstract

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.

Family members´ experiences of the end-of-life care environments in acute care settings – a photo-elicitation study

“…Family members had a need for social interaction on their own terms, and being able to visit the sick person at any time was crucial, with privacy described of great importance in allowing families to interact. These results are in line with other research, indicating that care environments can support social interaction between patients and family members and therefore also have the potential to increase mutual social support (Rigby et al, 2010 anonymized reference; Robinson et al, 2014; Ulrich et al, 2008), whereas inflexible visiting hours and multiple-bedded rooms add to family members’ discomfort. Our findings underline the importance of sharing everyday life and activities, e.g., meals, coffee and conversations, at the EoL care unit.…”

“…It is already acknowledged in the literature that providing an aesthetic and comfortable environment has an impact on several outcomes relevant for patients’ wellbeing (e.g., Ulrich et al, 2008) and our study suggests that this may also be the case for family members. Aesthetic, multi-sensorial impressions, space for privacy that facilitates social relationships, and the way staff and the environment meet and guide family members, have the potential to add to experiences of both strain and wellbeing.…”

“…Numerous efforts have been made to study patient and staff outcomes in relation to specific design characteristics or interventions, including room occupancy (e.g., Maben et al, 2016), the acoustic environment (e.g., Shield, Shiers, & Glanville, 2016), visual contact with nature/landscapes (e.g., Ulrich, 1979), sound and lighting (e.g., Voigt et al, 2017), ergonomic design (e.g., Knibbe & Waaijer, 2012), and the work environment (e.g., Lee & Scott, 2018). Robust research indicates that the design of the care environment has implications for patient safety, communication, coping and experience of stress (Andrade, Lima, Devlin, & Hernandez, 2016; Ulrich et al, 2008). Hence, the surroundings may either facilitate or obstruct quality EoL care (Beckstrand, Rasmussen, Luthy, & Heaston, 2012; Sagha Zadeh et al, 2018; Slatyer, Pienaar, Williams, Proctor, & Hewitt, 2015).…”

Intensive care unit environment may affect the course of delirium

“…The ICU design can ameliorate healthcare outcomes, and lead to improved patients' sleep and a reduced frequency of hospital-acquired infections and medical errors by influencing circadian rhythm, the immune response, and patient and staff behaviour [16]. The ICU of our institution recently moved to a new location, providing a unique opportunity to study the effects of a changed ICU environment on the course of delirium.…”

Raising a beautiful swan: a phenomenological-hermeneutic interpretation of health professionals’ experiences of participating in a mealtime intervention inspired by Protected Mealtimes

“…Studies indicate that PM has resulted in staff members being more involved and engaged in mealtime-related care (Dickinson & Welch, 2006). Nurses prioritized their time differently, had fewer distractions, and provided more assistance to patients at mealtimes when PM was implemented in clinical practice (Chan & Carpenter, 2015; Dickinson & Welch, 2006; Ullrich et al, 2008). However, conflicting results exist regarding the effect of PM on patients.…”