Application of Theory in Studies of Healthcare Built Environment Research

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 154-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle M. Shannon ◽  
S. Nordin ◽  
J. Bernhardt ◽  
M. Elf
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Healthcare Setting ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Environment Design ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Review Team ◽  
Theory Application ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Impact

We aimed to examine the nature and extent of theory application in studies of built environment attributes and impact on adults in healthcare facilities. Many varied theories are described when providing the rationale for research into built environments in healthcare. Uncertainty exists around the right theory to frame a research question, alignment with measurement tools, and whether healthcare setting makes a difference. This poses challenges to researchers seeking to build the evidence base for built environment design that benefits patients and staff. Our multidisciplinary review team scoped the literature to determine how theories are used to inform research investigating the impact of the built environment of healthcare on adults. When researchers recorded theory at development of the study question, in data collection, and in data analysis/interpretation, we called this explicitly theory-based application. Synthesis occurred using a narrative approach. Overall, we found 17 diverse theories named in studies. Explicitly theory-based use occurred with eight theories, comprising 47% of all theories used. Five theories were named more frequently in studies out of all theories identified. In 20% of studies, theory was not used explicitly during the research inquiry. We argue that researchers must continue to strive toward explicit use of theories, similar to development of other health interventions that employ multifactorial components.

A Scoping Review of the Impact on Children of the Built Environment Design Characteristics of Healing Spaces

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 98-114
Author(s):  
H. Gaminiesfahani ◽  
M. Lozanovska ◽  
R. Tucker
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Environment Design ◽  
Landscape Characteristics ◽  
Design Variables ◽  
Pediatric Healthcare ◽  
The Impact

Aim: This article elucidates current understanding in pediatric healthcare building design via scoping review of research on the impacts on the health and well-being of children of the architectural and landscape characteristics of healing spaces. Background: Studies indicate that patients’ phenomenological experiences of the built environment characteristics of healthcare buildings can impact their healing and well-being. It follows that understanding the healing effects of landscape and architecture can inform the design of healthcare settings for increased health benefits. Method: This method comprises five search stages: (1) research question is formed; (2) key words, search terms, and search strategy are identified; (3) databases are searched, and papers are assessed via inclusion and exclusion criteria; (4) information of the selected articles is extracted and summarized; and (5) key findings are interpreted and reported via comparative tabulation. Results: One hundred seventy-three papers were found during the first search stage. After screening and evaluating for relevance and quality, 13 articles were selected for study. Analysis indicates that the built environment characteristics of pediatric healthcare environments that have healing benefits include access to nature, music, art and natural light, reduced crowding, reduced noise, and soft, cyclical, and user-controlled artificial lighting. Conclusions: While it is important to understand the design variables that influence pediatric healthcare, it is also necessary to contextualize them and to distinguish these variables from each other and appreciate their interaction. In other words, a more rounded understanding of these variables is required via research so that their individual and combined impacts are reflected in holistic design recommendations.

scholarly journals Evacuation Data from a Hospital Outpatient Drill The Case Study of North Shore Hospital

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anass Rahouti ◽  
Ruggiero Lovreglio ◽  
Phil Jackson ◽  
Sélim Datoussaïd
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Fire Safety ◽  
Movement Time ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
North Shore ◽  
The North ◽  
The Impact

Assessing the fire safety of buildings is fundamental to reduce the impact of this threat on their occupants. Such an assessment can be done by combining existing models and existing knowledge on how occupants behave during fires. Although many studies have been carried out for several types of built environment, only few of those investigate healthcare facilities and hospitals. In this study, we present a new behavioural data-set for hospital evacuations. The data was collected from the North Shore Hospital in Auckland (NZ) during an unannounced drill carried out in May 2017. This drill was recorded using CCTV and those videos are analysed to generate new evacuation model inputs for hospital scenarios. We collected pre-movement times, exit choices and total evacuation times for each evacuee. Moreover, we estimated pre-movement time distributions for both staff members and patients. Finally, we qualitatively investigated the evacuee actions of patients and staff members to study their interaction during the drill. The results show that participants were often independent from staff actions with a majority able to make their own decision.

Investigating systematic review for multi-disciplinary research in the built environment

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-90
Author(s):  
Subhadarsini Parida ◽  
Kerry Brown
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Review Paper ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Powerful Means ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which a systematic review approach is transferable from medicine to multi-disciplinary studies in the built environment research. Design/methodology/approach Primarily a review paper, it focuses on specific steps in the systematic review to clarify and elaborate the elements for adapting an evidence base in the built environment studies particular to the impact of green building on employees’ health, well-being and productivity. Findings While research represents a potentially powerful means of reducing the gap between research and practice by applying tried and tested methods, the methodological rigour is debatable when a traditional systematic review approach is applied in the built environment studies involving multi-disciplinary research. Research limitations/implications The foundational contribution of this paper lies in providing methodological guidance and an alternative framework to advance the longstanding efforts in the built environment to bridge the practitioner and academic divide. Originality/value A systematic review approach in the built environment is rare. The method is unique in multi-disciplinary studies especially in green building studies. This paper adopts the systematic review protocols in this cross-disciplinary study involving health, management and built environment expertise.

The Impact of Environmental Design on Teamwork and Communication in Healthcare Facilities: A Systematic Literature Review

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arsalan Gharaveis ◽  
D. Kirk Hamilton ◽  
Debajyoti Pati
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
English Language ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Environmental Design ◽  
Healthcare Facility ◽  
Environmental Research ◽  
Design Environment ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of this systematic review is to investigate the current knowledge about the impact of healthcare facility design on teamwork and communication by exploring the relevant literature. Teamwork and communication are behavioral factors that are impacted by physical design. However, the effects of environmental factors on teamwork and communication have not been investigated extensively in healthcare design literature. There are no published systematic reviews on the current topic. Searches were conducted in PubMed and Google Scholar databases in addition to targeted design journals including Health Environmental Research & Design, Environment and Behavior, Environmental Psychology, and Applied Ergonomics. Inclusion criteria were (a) full-text English language articles related to teamwork and communication and (b) involving any healthcare built environment and space design published in peer-reviewed journals between 1984 and 2017. Studies were extracted using defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. In the first phase, 26 of the 195 articles most relevant to teamwork and 19 studies of the 147 were identified and reviewed to understand the impact of communication in healthcare facilities. The literature regarding the impact of built environment on teamwork and communication were reviewed and explored in detail. Eighteen studies were selected and succinctly summarized as the final product of this review. Environmental design, which involves nurses, support staff, and physicians, is one of the critical factors that promotes the efficiency of teamwork and collaborative communication. Layout design, visibility, and accessibility levels are the most cited aspects of design which can affect the level of communication and teamwork in healthcare facilities.

Methods matter: exploring the ‘too much, too soon’ theory, part 1: causal questions in sports injury research

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (18) ◽  
pp. 1119-1122
Author(s):  
Rasmus Oestergaard Nielsen ◽  
Michael Lejbach Bertelsen ◽  
Merete Møller ◽  
Adam Hulme ◽  
Mohammad Ali Mansournia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sports Medicine ◽  
Injury Risk ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Sports Injury ◽  
Training Programme ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The Right ◽  
Injury Research

BackgroundIt is widely accepted that athletes sustain sports injury if they train ‘too much, too soon’. However, not all athletes are built the same; some can tolerate more training than others. It is for this reason that prescribing the same training programme to all athletes to reduce injury risk is not optimal from a coaching perspective. Rather, athletes require individualised training plans. In acknowledgement of athlete diversity, it is therefore essential to ask the right causal research question in studies examining sports injury aetiology.PurposeIn this first part of a British Journal of Sports Medicine educational series, we present four different causal research questions related to the ‘too much, too soon’ theory and critically discuss their relevance to sports injury prevention.ContentIf it is true that there is no ‘one size fits all’ training programme, then we need to consider by how much training can vary depending on individual athlete characteristics. To provide an evidence-base for subgroup-specific recommendations, a stronger emphasis on the following questions is needed: (1) How much training is ‘too much’ before athletes with different characteristics sustain sports-related injury? and (2) Does the risk of sports injury differ among athletes with a certain characteristic (eg, high experience) compared with athletes with other characteristics (eg, low experience) depending on how much training they perform?ConclusionWe recommend that sports injury researchers aiming to examine the ‘too much, too soon’ theory should carefully consider how they, assisted by coaches, athletes and clinicians, pose their causal research question. In the light of the limitations of population-based prevention that intends to provide all athletes with the same advice, we argue that a stronger emphasis on research questions targeting subgroups of athletes is needed. In doing so, researchers may assist athletes, clinicians and coaches to understand what training advice/programme works best, for whom and under what circumstances.

scholarly journals Knowing your genes: does this impact behaviour change?

2017 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 182-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare B. O'Donovan ◽  
Marianne C. Walsh ◽  
Michael J. Gibney ◽  
Lorraine Brennan ◽  
Eileen R. Gibney
Keyword(s):  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Dietary Advice ◽  
Behaviour Change Techniques ◽  
Dietary Folate ◽  
Genotype Information ◽  
Future Work ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Original Concept

It is postulated that knowledge of genotype may be more powerful than other types of personalised information in terms of motivating behaviour change. However, there is also a danger that disclosure of genetic risk may promote a fatalistic attitude and demotivate individuals. The original concept of personalised nutrition (PN) focused on genotype-based tailored dietary advice; however, PN can also be delivered based on assessment of dietary intake and phenotypic measures. Whilst dietitians currently provide PN advice based on diet and phenotype, genotype-based PN advice is not so readily available. The aim of this review is to examine the evidence for genotype-based personalised information on motivating behaviour change, and factors which may affect the impact of genotype-based personalised advice. Recent findings in PN will also be discussed, with respect to a large European study, Food4Me, which investigated the impact of varying levels of PN advice on motivating behaviour change. The researchers reported that PN advice resulted in greater dietary changes compared with general healthy eating advice, but no additional benefit was observed for PN advice based on phenotype and genotype information. Within Food4Me, work from our group revealed that knowledge of MTHFR genotype did not significantly improve intakes of dietary folate. In general, evidence is weak with regard to genotype-based PN advice. For future work, studies should test the impact of PN advice developed on a strong nutrigenetic evidence base, ensure an appropriate study design for the research question asked, and incorporate behaviour change techniques into the intervention.

The implementation of evidence-based infection prevention in healthcare facilities in Egypt: A systematic literature review

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 093-099
Author(s):  
Nermeen Abdel-Fattah Shehab ◽  
Ahmed Atef Faggal ◽  
Ashraf Ali Nessim
Keyword(s):  
Infection Prevention ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Healthcare Facility ◽  
Hospital Staff ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Environment Design ◽  
Environmental Interventions ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
The Impact

The idea of searching: This study tends to assess the impact of implementing evidence-based infection prevention in healthcare facilities in Egypt, with the aim of improving surveillance systems and altering the facility designs according to the data acquired on HAIs patterns. Background: Hospital acquired infections (HAIs) are becoming one of the major concerns for the patients and healthcare providers leading to significant increase in mortality rates, morbidity rates and financial losses for healthcare organizations. The incidence rate of HAI in Egypt was as recorded as 3.7% recently. Certain environmental interventions, implemented during construction of the healthcare facility could lead to enhanced prevention against the transmission and spread of the HAIs. Studies revealed that the integration of Surveillance programs could provide evidence for the designers to alter the healthcare facility design with the aim of infection prevention. Therefore, EBD approach is used to potentially measure psychological and physical effects of the environment design of a health facility on the patients and hospital staff. Methodology: Previous scientific literature is assessed to collect the relevant data which is then organized and analyzed in this study. A systematic review is generated based on the analytical outcomes of the selected data. Conclusion: EBD approach has the potential to prominently decrease HAIs burden in Egyptian healthcare facilities as it provides a diverse insight into the layout, equipment, and materials that contribute in the transmission of pathogens due to faulty design. Findings and recommendations: In order to improve the poor indoor quality by MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing), previous studies have also indicated certain solutions including advancements in private room, improved surface selections, isolation, integration of touchless systems, and enhanced ventilation systems that must be applied in the healthcare facilities in Egypt for infection prevention.

Surgical prophylaxis

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamsin Oswald ◽  
Simon Jameson ◽  
Mike Reed
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Single Dose ◽  
Antibiotic Prophylaxis ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Infection Rates ◽  
Surgical Prophylaxis ◽  
Surgical Antibiotic Prophylaxis ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Impact

Surgical antibiotic prophylaxis remains a challenge, with a reported 30% of prescribing for this indication being inappropriate. The process of providing prophylaxis is a complex one—giving therapy only when indicated and using the right drug at the right dose at the right time and for the right duration (usually a single dose)—thus it is difficult to optimise. Additional challenges in this area include: lack of awareness of the impact of overuse of antimicrobials, anxiety about post-operative infections, suboptimal monitoring of infection rates, and the lack of an evidence base for prophylaxis in many procedures. This chapter discusses optimization of surgical prophylaxis and provides examples of successful quality improvement programmes that have overcome the challenges mentioned.

Making the Most of What We Already Know

2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Rebelo Da Silva ◽  
Hazel Zaranyika ◽  
Laurenz Langer ◽  
Nicola Randall ◽  
Evans Muchiri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Topic Area ◽  
Review Team ◽  
Meaningful Engagement ◽  
Key Policy ◽  
Alternative Approaches

Background: Conducting a systematic review in social policy is a resource-intensive process in terms of time and funds. It is thus important to understand the scope of the evidence base of a topic area prior to conducting a synthesis of primary research in order to maximize these resources. One approach to conserving resources is to map out the available evidence prior to undertaking a traditional synthesis. A few examples of this approach exist in the form of gap maps, overviews of reviews, and systematic maps supported by social policy and systematic review agencies alike. Despite this growing call for alternative approaches to systematic reviews, it is still common for systematic review teams to embark on a traditional in-depth review only. Objectives: This article describes a three-stage approach to systematic reviewing that was applied to a systematic review focusing in interventions for smallholder farmers in Africa. We argue that this approach proved useful in helping us to understand the evidence base. Results: By applying preliminary steps as part of a three-stage approach, we were able to maximize the resources needed to conduct a traditional systematic review on a more focused research question. This enabled us to identify and fill real knowledge gaps, build on work that had already been done, and avoid wasting resources on areas of work that would have no useful outcome. It also facilitated meaningful engagement between the review team and our key policy stakeholders.

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