The Effect of Environmental Design on Reducing Nursing Errors and Increasing Efficiency in Acute Care Settings: A Review and Analysis of the Literature

Environment and Behavior

Volumn 41, Issue 6, 2009, Pages 755-786

  Chaudhury, Habib ^a   Mahmood, Atiya ^b   Valente, Maria ^c  

^a SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY   (Canada)

^b OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^c UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA   (Canada)

Author keywords

acute care; environmental design; medication error; nursing error

Indexed keywords

EID: 79958824151     PISSN: 00139165     EISSN: 1552390X     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/0013916508330392     Document Type: Article

References (80)

1. Ali, N.A., Mekhjian, H.S., Kuehn, P.L., Bentley, T.D., Kumar, R., Ferketich, A.K., et al. (2005). Specificity of computerized physician order entry has a significant effect on the efficiency of workflow for critically ill patients. Critical Care Medicine, 33, 110-114.
2. Alimoglu, M.K., & Donmez, L. (2005). Daylight exposure and the other predictors of burnout among nurses in a university hospital. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 42, 549-555.
3. Anonymous. (2000). Hospitals discover cost efficiency of private rooms. Executive Solutions for Healthcare Management, 3, 7-8.
4. Barach, P., & Dickerman, K.N. (2006, February). Hospital design promoting patient safety. Paper presented at the American Society for Healthcare Engineering International Conference, San Diego, CA.
5. Bates, D.W., Boyle, D.L., Vander Vliet, M.B., Schneider, J., & Leape, L. (1995). Relationship between medication errors and adverse drug events. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 10, 199-205.
6. Bates, D.W., Leape, L.L., Cullen, D.J., Laird, N., Petersen, L.A., Teich, J.M., et al. (1998). Effect of computerized physician order entry and a team intervention on prevention of serious medical errors. Journal of the American Medical Association, 280, 1311-1316.
7. Bayo, M.V., Garcia, A.M., & Garcia, A. (1995). Noise levels in an urban hospital and workers’ subjective responses. Archives of Environmental Health, 50, 247-251.
8. Benedetti, F., Colombo, C., Barbini, B., Campori, E., & Smeraldi, E. (2001). Morning sunlight reduces length of hospitalization in bipolar depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 62, 221-223.
9. Berglund, B., Lindvall, T., & Schwela, D. (1999). Guidelines for community noise. Geneva: World Health Organization.
10. Bilchik, G.S. (2002). A better place to heal. Health Forum Journal, 45, 10-15.
11. Blomkvist, V., Eriksen, C.A., Theorell, T., Ulrich. R., & Rasmanis, G. (2005). Acoustics and psychosocial environment in intensive coronary care. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 62, e1-e8.
12. Borel, J.M., & Rascati, K.L. (1995). Effect of an automated, nursing unit-based drug-dispensing device on medication errors. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, 52, 1875-1879.
13. Brady, R., Chester, F.R., Pierce, L.L., Salter, J.P., Schreck, S., & Radziewicz, R. (1993). Geriatric falls: Prevention strategies for the staff. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 19, 26-32.
14. Brennan, T.A., Leape, L.L., Laird, N.M., Hebert, L., Localio, R., Lawthers, A.G., et al. (1991). Incidence of adverse events and negligence in hospitalized patients. Results of the Harvard Medical Practice StudyI. New England Journal of Medicine, 324, 370-376.
15. Buchanan, T.L., Barker, K.N., Gibson, J.T., Jiang, B.C., & Pearson, R.E. (1991). Illumination and errors in dispensing. American Journal of Hospital Pharmacy, 48, 2137-2145.
16. Cabrera, I., & Lee, M. (2000). Reducing noise pollution in the hospital setting by establishing a department of sound: A survey of recent research on the effects of noise and music in health care. Preventative Medicine, 30, 339-345.
17. Carayon, P., Alvarado, C.J., & Hundt, A.S. (2003). Reducing workload and increasing patient safety through work and workspace design. Madison, WI: Center for Quality and Productivity Improvement.
18. Carpman, J.R., & Grant, M.A. (1993). Design that cares: Planning health facilities for patients and visitors (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
19. Chaudhury, H., Mahmood, A., & Valente, M. (2005). Advantages and disadvantages of single vs. double occupancy patient rooms in acute care environments: A review and analysis of the literature. Environment and Behavior, 37, 760-786.
20. Chaudhury, H., Mahmood, A., & Valente, M. (2006). Nurses’ preference for single versus multi-occupancy patient rooms in acute care environments: An exploratory comparative assessment. Applied Nursing Research, 18, 118-125.
21. Christensen, K.E. (1979). An impact analysis framework for calculating the costs of staff disorientation in hospitals. Hospital Orientation Project. Wayfinding in Hospital Environments: A school of Architecture and Urban Planning Report Series. Unpublished manuscript, University of California, Los Angeles.
22. Collins, J.W., & Owen, B.D. (1996). NIOSH research initiatives to prevent back injuries to nursing assistants, aides, and orderlies in nursing homes. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 29, 421-424.
23. Davydov, L., Caliendo, G., Mehl, B., & Smith, L.G. (2004). Investigation of correlation between house-staff work hours and prescribing errors. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, 61, 1130-1134.
24. Dettenkofer, M., Seegers, S., Antes, G., Motschall, E., Schumacher, M., & Daschner, F.D. (2004). Does the architecture of hospital facilities influence nosocomial infection rates? A systematic review. Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 25, 21-25.
25. Garg, A., & Owen, B. (1992). Reducing back stress to nursing personnel: An ergonomic intervention in a nursing home. Ergonomics, 35, 1353-1375.
26. Gershon, R.R.M., Karkashian, C.D., Grosch, J.W., Murphy, L., Escamilla-Cejudo, A., Flanagan, P.A., et al. (2000). Hospital safety climate and its relationship with safe work practices and workplace exposure incidents. American Journal of Infection Control, 28, 211-221.
27. Gillespie, M., & Melby, V. (2003). Burnout among nursing staff in accident and emergency and acute medicine: A comparative study. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 12, 842-851.
28. Graven, S.N. (1997). Clinical research data illuminating the relationship between the physical environment and patient medical outcomes. Journal of Healthcare Design, 9, 15-20.
29. Grumet, G.W. (1993). Pandemonium in the modern hospital. New England Journal of Medicine, 328, 433-437.
30. Halford, S., & Leonard, P. (2003). Space and place in the construction and performance of gendered nursing identities. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 42, 201-208.
31. Harrison, S. (2004). Bad hospital design leads to poor staff performance. Nursing Standard, 18, 7.
32. Hendrich, A., Fay, J., & Sorrells, A. (2002, September). Acuity-adaptable patient rooms and decentralized nursing stations-A winning combination. Healthcare Design, 11-13.
33. Hendrich, A., Fay, J., & Sorrells, A.K. (2004). Effects of acuity-adaptable rooms on flow of patients and delivery of care. American Journal of Critical Care, 13, 35-45.
34. Hignett, S., & Richardson, B. (1995). Manual handling human loads in a hospital: An exploratory study to identify nurses’ perceptions. Applied Ergonomics, 26, 221-226.
35. Hill-Rom. (2002). The patient room of the future. Batesville, IN: Author.
36. Hilton, B.A. (1985). Noise in acute patient care areas. Research in Nursing and Health, 8, 283-291.
37. Hodge, B., & Thompson, J.F. (1990). Noise pollution in the operating theatre. Lancet, 335, 891-894.
38. Hodgkinson, B., Koch, S., Nay, R., & Nichols, K. (2006). Strategies to reduce medication errors with reference to older adults. International Journal of Evidence Based Healthcare, 4, 2-41.
39. Hosking, S., & Haggard, L. (1999). The human factor. In S. Hosking & L. Haggard (Eds.), Healing the hospital environment: Design, management and maintenance of healthcare premises (pp. 159-171). London: Routledge.
40. Hui, L., Ng, G.Y.F., Yeung, S.S.M., & Hui-Chan, C.W.Y. (2001). Evaluation of physiological work demands and low back neuromuscular fatigue on nurses working in geriatric wards. Applied Ergonomics, 32, 479-483.
41. Janowitz, I.L., Gillen, M., Ryan, G., Rempel, D., Trupin, L., Swig, L., et al. (2006). Measuring the physical demands of work in hospital settings: Design and implementation of an ergonomics assessment. Applied Ergonomics, 37, 641-658.
42. Janssen, P.A., Harris, S.J., Soolsma, J., Klein, M.C., & Seymour, L.C. (2001). Single room maternity care: The nursing response. Birth, 28, 173-179.
43. Joseph, A., & Ulrich, R. (2007, January). Sound control for improved outcomes in healthcare settings (Issue paper No. 4), The Center for Health Design. Retrieved April 10, 2009, from http://www.healthdesign.org/research/reports/documents/CHD_Issue_Paper4.pdf
44. Kibbler, C.C., Quick, A., & O’Neill, A.M. (1998). The effect of increased bed numbers on MRSA transmission in acute medical wards. Journal of Hospital Infection, 39, 213-219.
45. Kohn, L.T., Corrigan, J.M., & Donaldson, M.S. (2000). Errors in health care: A leading cause of death and injury. In L. T. Kohn, J. M. Corrigan, & M. S. Donaldson (Eds.), To err is human: Building a safer health system (pp. 26-47). Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
46. Koppel, R., Metlay, J., Cohen, A., Abaluck, B., Localio, A.R., Kimmel, S.E., et al. (2005). Role of computerized physician order entry systems in facilitating medication errors. Journal of the American Medical Association, 293, 1197-1203.
47. Kroemer, K.H.E., & Kroemer, A.D. (2001). Office ergonomics. London: Taylor & Francis.
48. Leape, L.L., Bates, D., Cullen, D., Cooper, J., Demenaco, H., Gallivan, T., et al. (1995). Systems analysis of adverse drug events. Journal of the American Medical Association, 274, 35-43.
49. Lowers, J. (1999). Improving quality through the built environment. Quality Letter for Healthcare Leaders, 11, 2-9.
50. McCarthy, M. (2004). Healthy design. Lancet, 364, 405-406.
51. Moeser, S.D. (1988). Cognitive mapping in a complex building. Environment and Behavior, 20, 21-49.
52. Mroczek, J., Mikitarian, G., Vieira, E.K., & Rotarius, T. (2005). Hospital design and staff perceptions: An exploratory analysis. Health Care Manager, 24, 233-244.
53. Neumann, T., & Ruga, W. (1995). How to improve your unit’s environment. American Journal of Nursing, 95, 63-65.
54. Nightingale, F. (1859). Notes on nursing: What it is and what it is not. London: John W. Parker.
55. Page, A. (Ed.). (2004). Work and workspace design to prevent and mitigate errors. In Keeping patients safe: Transforming the work environment of nurses (pp. 226-285). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
56. Reason, J. (2000). Human error: Models and management. British Medical Journal, 320, 768-770.
57. Reiling, J. (2004). Facility design focused on patient safety. Frontiers of Health Services Management, 21, 41-46.
58. Reiling, J., Breckbill, C., Murphy, M., McCullough, S., & Chernos, S. (2003). Facility designing around patient safety and its effect on nursing. Nursing Economics, 21, 143-147.
59. Reiling, J., & Knutzen, B.L. (2003). FMEA-The cure for medical errors. Quality Progress, 36, 67-71.
60. Rollins, J.A. (2004). Evidence-based hospital design improves health care outcomes for patients, families, and staff. Pediatric Nursing, 30, 338-339.
61. Rothschild, J.M., Keohane, C.A., Cook, E.F., Orav, E.J., Burdick, E., Thompson, S., et al. (2005). A controlled trial of smart infusion pumps to improve medication safety in critically ill patients. Critical Care Medicine, 33, 533-540.
62. Runy, L.A. (2004, May). The patient room: Universal rooms. Hospitals and Health Networks, 36-40.
63. Schwarz, H.O., & Brodowy, B.A. (1995). Implementation and evaluation of an automated dispensing system. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, 52, 823-828.
64. Scott, H. (2004). Working environments have a direct impact on care. British Journal of Nursing, 13, 893.
65. Shepley, M.M., & Davies, K. (2003). Nursing unit configuration and its relationship to noise and nurse walking behavior: An AIDS/HIV unit case study. Retrieved November 26, 2004, from http://www.aia.org/aah_a_jrnl_0401_article4
66. Shirley, K.L. (1999). Effect on an automated dispensing system on medication administration time. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, 56, 1542-1545.
67. Shumaker, S.A., & Reizemstein, J.E. (1982). Environmental factors affecting inpatient stress in acute care hospitals. In G. Evans (Ed.), Environmental stress (pp. 179-223). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
68. Simmons, J. C. (Ed.). (2003, April). Designing for quality: Hospitals look to the built environment to provide better patient care and outcomes. Quality Letter for Healthcare Leaders, 2-13.
69. Sochalski, J. (2001). Quality of care, nurse staffing, and patient outcomes. Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, 2, 9-18.
70. Spreckelmeyer, K. (2004, June). Ten design recommendations to improve environmental quality of nursing units. Environmental Quality of Nursing Units, 1-6.
71. Stichler, J.F. (2001). Creating healing environments in critical care units. Critical Care Nursing Quarterly, 24, 1-20.
72. Thorgaard, P., Ertmann, E., Hansen, V., Noerregaard, A., Hansen, V., & Spanggaard, L. (2005). Designed sound and music environment in postanaesthesia care units-a multicentre study of patients and staff. Intensive and Critical Care Nursing, 21, 220-225.
73. Topf, M. (1985). Noise-induced stress in hospital patients: Coping and nonauditory health outcomes. Journal of Human Stress, 11, 125-134.
74. Topf, M., & Dillon, E. (1988). Noise-induced stress as a predictor of burnout in critical care nurses. Heart Lung, 17, 567-574.
75. Ulrich, R. (1984). View through a window may influence recovery from surgery. Science, 224, 420-421.
76. Ulrich, R., & Barach, P. (2006, February). Designing safe healthcare facilities-What are the data and where do we go from here? Paper presented at the Healthcare Environments Research Summit 2006, Atlanta, GA.
77. Ulrich, R., Zimring, C., Quan, X., Joseph, A., & Choudhary, R. (2004, September). The role of the physical environment in the hospital of the 21st century: A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Report to the Center for Health Design for the Designing the 21st Century Hospital Project.
78. Walch, J.M., Rabin, B.S., Day, R., Williams, J.N., Choi, K., & Kang, J.D. (2005). The effect of sunlight on post-operative analgesic medication usage: A prospective study of spinal surgery patients. Psychosomatic Medicine, 67, 156-163.
79. Weber, D.O. (1995). Environments that heal. Healthcare Forum Journal, 38, 42.
80. Yassi, A., Cohen, M., Cvitkovich, Y., Park, I.H., Ratner, P.A., Ostry, A.S., et al. (2004). Factors associated with staff injuries in intermediate care facilities in British Columbia, Canada. Nursing Research, 53, 87-98.