HERD
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This paper summarizes the results of a comprehensive comparison of open-bay (OPBY) and single-family-room (SFR) neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) designs. ⋯ These data overwhelmingly support the SFR NICU in preference to the traditional OPBY facility. They substantiate that the SFR NICU should be the new standard for NICU care.
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There has been an uptick in the field of emergency department (ED) operations research and data gathering, both published and unpublished. This new information has implications for ED design. The specialty suffers from an inability to have these innovations reach frontline practitioners, let alone design professionals and architects. This paper is an attempt to synthesize for design professionals the growing data regarding ED operations. ⋯ The sentinel premise of this meta-synthesis is that data derived from improvement work in the area of ED operations has applications for ED design. EDs can optimize their functioning by marrying good processes and operations to good design. This review paper is an attempt to bring this new information to the attention of the multidisciplinary team of architects, designers, and clinicians.
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To evaluate and compare the impact of an existing and newly built hospital environment on family and staff satisfaction related to light, noise, temperature, aesthetics, and amenities, as well as safety, security, and privacy. ⋯ Families and staff reported greater satisfaction with the newly built hospital environment compared to the old facility. Study results will help guide future architectural design decisions, attract and retain staff at a world-class facility, and create the most effective healing environments.
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Comparative Study
A comparison of parent satisfaction in an open-bay and single-family room neonatal intensive care unit.
The purpose of this research was to test the hypothesis that parental satisfaction with neonatal intensive care is greater in a single-family room facility as compared with a conventional open-bay neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). ⋯ Parental satisfaction with care in the single-family room NICU was improved in comparison with the traditional open-bay NICU. The single-family room environment appears more conducive to the provision of family-centered care. Improved parental satisfaction with care and the potential for enhanced family-centered care need to be considered in decisions made regarding the configuration of NICU facilities in the future.
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Investigators studied an emergency department (ED) physical chart system and identified inconsistent, small font labeling; a single-color scheme; and an absence of human factors engineering (HFE) cues. A case study and description of the methodology with which surrogate measures of chart-related patient safety were studied and subsequently used to reduce latent hazards are presented. ⋯ Application of HFE methods may aid the development, assessment, and modification of acute care clinical environments through evidence-based design methodologies and contribute to safe patient care delivery.