scholarly journals Health Inequity by Design: Waiting Rooms and Patient Stress

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew D. Lamb
Keyword(s):  
Physical Space ◽  
Health Inequities ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Needs ◽  
Waiting Room ◽  
Design Decisions ◽  
Patient Stress ◽  
Physical Spaces ◽  
Stress And Health

Little attention has been paid to health inequities designed into the physical spaces themselves. Clearly design is an important part of patient care. Design is simultaneously a complex system itself while existing as part of a larger complex (healthcare) system. For example, it is not enough to say that a patient experiences more stress because she/he is being treated in a hospital in a lower income area. The key, here, is that evidence demonstrates design as an important component, systemically, in healthcare. We know this to be true and base re-design efforts on this fact, but only in certain places. The central addition of this study is to point out that hospitals in higher income areas utilize the waiting room’s ecology and its influence on patient stress and care. Efforts to intervene, through design, in waiting room ecology have consequences to equitable access to healthcare. Therefore, this study examines the implications of health inequities designed-into physical space. Additionally, this study seeks to forefront the influence communication ecologies have in addressing health inequities. Innovations in addressing mental health needs in humanitarian settings: A complexity informed Action Research Case Study. Frontiers in Communication: Health Communication. 10.3389/fcomm.2020.601792 para 19, 2020). Thus, the purpose of this paper is to investigate, but also articulate, the ways design decisions impact people unequally and perpetuate health inequalities. To do so, this study investigates the communication ecologies of waiting rooms and their influence on patient stress and health equity and elucidates under-examined systemic components patient stress and well-being.

scholarly journals A conceptual simulation workflow to guide design decisions regarding the effects of daylight on occupants’ alertness

2021 ◽  
Vol 2042 (1) ◽  
pp. 012116
Author(s):  
Pierson Clotilde ◽  
Soto Magán Victoria Eugenia ◽  
Aarts Mariëlle ◽  
Andersen Marilyne
Keyword(s):  
Light Exposure ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Spectral Simulation ◽  
Design Decisions ◽  
Computational Tools ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Recent developments in the lighting research field have demonstrated the importance of a proper exposure to light to mediate several of our behavioral and physiological responses. However, we spend nowadays around 90% of our time indoors with an often quite limited access to bright daylight. To be able to anticipate how much the built environment actually influences our light exposure, and how much it may ultimately impact our health, well-being, and productivity, new computational tools are needed. In this paper, we present a first attempt at a simulation workflow that integrates a spectral simulation tool with a light-driven prediction model of alertness. The goal is to optimize the effects of light on building occupants, by informing the decision makers about the impact of different design choices. The workflow is applied to a case study to provide an example of what learnings can be expected from it.

scholarly journals Inmigrantes latinoamericanas en Salamanca: estudio de experiencias y casos

2019 ◽  
pp. 137
Author(s):  
Lourdes Moro Gutiérrez ◽  
María Jesús Pena Castro ◽  
María Fiol Ruiz
Keyword(s):  
Latin American ◽  
Research Team ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Positive Perception ◽  
Migration Process ◽  
Qualitative Interviewing ◽  
Cultural Consideration ◽  
Adaptation Processes ◽  
Physical Spaces

Este trabajo propone analizar desde la perspectiva sociocultural el proceso migratorio de un grupo de mujeres latinoamericanas que han emigrado a Salamanca (España). A través de entrevistas cualitativas en profundidad y el estudio de casos se investigan desde una perspectiva de género sus procesos migratorios y de adaptación en el lugar de destino: cuáles han sido las razones que las han impulsado a emigrar, sus expectativas previas y las dificultades que se han encontrado en el proceso, además de identificar los espacios materiales, de poder, participación y comunicación que ocupan en la sociedad. Los resultados obtenidos indican una percepción positiva de su tránsito en busca de la mejora de su bienestar personal y familiar a pesar de los numerosos cambios que han debido afrontar y de las dificultades encontradas.This paper analyses the migration process of a group of Latin American women to Salamanca (Spain) from the socio-cultural consideration. Through qualitative interviewing and case study, the research team explored from a gender perspective their migration and adaptation processes: motivations for emigration, the previous expectations, difficulties in the process, as well as the recollection of the diversity of places they occupied in society, regarding to physical spaces, power, participation or communication. The results achieved show a positive perception of their transit, looking for personal and family well-being, despite of the numerous changes they had faced and the difficulties encountered.

scholarly journals Space and Approach in "The Virtuous City" - A Tale of Two Universities: Re-imagining and reconstruction of the westernised South African university

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quraysha Ismail Sooliman ◽  
Iram Yousuf
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Knowledge Production ◽  
Physical Space ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Similar Process ◽  
City Space ◽  
The University ◽  
Physical Spaces ◽  
Mental Well Being

In order to know how to change one must be able to acknowledge what one does not know. Central to knowledge production of relevance is humility and an understanding of the realities of one’s own environment. From a decolonial perspective, knowledge production is affected by the development and creation of the actual physical spaces of the university and its pedagogy. The Covid_19 pandemic has tested the functionality of the physical space of the university as well as the organization of the city space. This paper considers these issues, their impact and effect on the mental well-being of both academics and students by exploring the idea of the university as a virtuous city. We draw on Al-Farabi’s treatise of the Virtuous City because physical and conceptual architectures reflect a way in which the world is structured. In South Africa, the violent design of the fragmented spaces has been planned according to the colonial, cartographic imagination which destroys and distorts memory and ruptures tradition. The architecture of the cities and universities, it can be argued, effect a similar process, and serve as an affirmation of the pre-dominance of the white-supremacist power structure in South Africa. Cities are created by people and each city is a creation of the interaction of social, economic, cultural, and political imperatives. The university is a micro-manifestation of the cosmopolitan city that adopts different approaches to knowledge, decolonisation and transformation. In re-imaging and reconstituting the westernised South African university an appropriate approach to reaching the ideals of well-being and harmony would require the shedding of the ego and the Cartesian “I”. The process of decolonising the university should occur by deconstructing and recognising colonial methods, theories and practise in our pedagogy and spaces in order to begin the process of reconstruction.

scholarly journals Wood and Its Impact on Humans and Environment Quality in Health Care Facilities

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (18) ◽  
pp. 3496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronika Kotradyova ◽  
Erik Vavrinsky ◽  
Barbora Kalinakova ◽  
Dominik Petro ◽  
Katarina Jansakova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Positive Impact ◽  
Experimental Tests ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Waiting Room ◽  
Respiration Activity ◽  
Environment Quality ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Volatile Organic Compound Emissions

The paper presents the application of natural materials, especially wood, which are relevant for human well-being in built environments of health, social, and day care facilities. These properties were tested by a complex methodology in a case study in the wooden waiting room at National Oncology Institute in Bratislava. In this space, experimental tests of physiological responses were further executed on 50 volunteers moving in the waiting room for 20 min. In this article, the EEG (electroencephalograph) (four persons) and emotions from the faces of all our volunteers before entering and after a stay in a wooden waiting room were recorded. Specifically, the ECG (electrocardiograph), heart rate (HR), and respiration activity were measured by using our own designed ECG holter (40 persons), and also blood pressure and cortisol levels were observed. The usage of wooden materials verifies their regenerative and positive impact on the human nervous system, through the appealing aesthetics (color, texture, and structures), high contact comfort, pleasant smell, possibility to regulate air humidity, volatile organic compound emissions (VOC-emissions), and acoustic well-being in the space.

Architecture and the Internet: Designing places in cyberspace

First Monday ◽  
2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yehuda E. Kalay ◽  
John Marx
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Physical Space ◽  
Place Making ◽  
Physical Constraints ◽  
Early Adoption ◽  
3D Environments ◽  
State Of Affairs ◽  
Physical Spaces

Cyberspace, as the information space is called, has become accessible in the past decade through the World Wide Web. And although it can only be experienced through the mediation of computers, it is quickly becoming an alternative stage for everyday economic, cultural, and other human activities. As such, there is a potential and a need to design it according to place–like principles. Making places for human inhabitation is, of course, what architects, landscape architects, and town planners have been doing in physical space for thousands of years. It is curious, therefore, that Cyberspace designers have not capitalized on the theories, experiences, and practices that have been guiding physical place–making. While most 3D environments closely mimic physical spaces, they are, by and large, devoid of the essential characteristics that differentiate a ‘place’ from mere ‘space.’ And only rarely are they sensitive to, and take advantage of, the peculiarities of Cyberspace. We believe that this state of affairs is temporary, characteristic of early adoption stages of new technologies. As the Web matures, and as it assumes more fully its role as a destination rather than as means of communication, there will be a growing need to design it according to place–making principles. By looking at physical architecture as a case study and metaphor for organizing space into meaningful places, this paper explores the possibility of organizing Cyberspace into spatial settings that not only afford social interaction, but, like physical places, also embody and express cultural values. At the same time, because Cyberspace lacks materiality, is free from physical constraints, and because it can only be ‘inhabited’ by proxy, these ‘places’ may not necessarily resemble their physical counterparts.

scholarly journals Innovations in Addressing Mental Health Needs in Humanitarian Settings: A Complexity Informed Action Research Case Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Parrish-Sprowl ◽  
John Parrish-Sprowl ◽  
Samia Alajlouni
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Synergistic Effects ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Mental Health Needs ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Humanitarian Settings

Addressing mental health challenges in humanitarian settings, where needs are many and resources are scarce, requires innovative solutions. In this manuscript, we describe a quantum complexity informed intervention, Communication for Whole Health (CWH), developed at the request of a large Jordanian healthcare NGO to address mental health needs of patients and staff. In the humanitarian aid context, this health domain is referred to by the acronym MHPSS (mental health and psychosocial support). The focus of this participatory action research project, presented here as a case study, was the collaborative elaboration of an MHPSS intervention in an urban primary healthcare clinic serving mostly Syrian refugees. The intervention capitalizes on the synergistic effects generated from the systemic nature of communication where every interaction is an intervention, and the health implications of research demonstrating communication is bioactive. Rather than treating mental health as an add-on medical specialty targeting patients with “psychiatric disorders,” systemic MHPSS starts from the premise that everyone has mental health, which is inextricably linked to physical and social health. Emphasis is on integrating awareness of mental health as part of whole health and taking advantage of every interaction to facilitate well-being for patients and staff. The intervention facilitated the transformation of the communication ecology of the clinic from a culture of reactivity to a culture of receptivity by strengthening communication resources and practices. Staff reported feeling more empowered to help patients and displayed increased motivation to find innovative ways to use available resources. They felt better equipped to manage their own stress response and support coworkers. Patients learned basic stress management skills, helping them better manage chronic health conditions, and reported sharing this information with family members. Staff reported many examples of patients responding positively to interventions to reduce patient reactivity, leading to beneficial behavior change and improved health outcomes. Results suggest a systemic MHPSS approach can contribute to ameliorating health inequities by expanding resources for patients and staff, empowering them to act into their current circumstances to support whole health. The CWH approach has potential in similar contexts to address mental health needs in a cost-effective and impactful way.

The Case Study of Technology Leakage in Cyber-Physical Space

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-173
Author(s):  
Min-Su Jung ◽  
◽  
Hang-Bae Chang
Keyword(s):  
Physical Space

SenCity – Evaluating Users’ Experiences of Intelligent Lighting for Well-Being in Smart Cities

2018 ◽  
pp. 60-67
Author(s):  
Henrika Pihlajaniemi ◽  
Anna Luusua ◽  
Eveliina Juntunen
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Smart City ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Evaluation Methods ◽  
Data Analyses ◽  
Sense Of Security ◽  
System Data

This paper presents the evaluation of usersХ experiences in three intelligent lighting pilots in Finland. Two of the case studies are related to the use of intelligent lighting in different kinds of traffic areas, having emphasis on aspects of visibility, traffic and movement safety, and sense of security. The last case study presents a more complex view to the experience of intelligent lighting in smart city contexts. The evaluation methods, tailored to each pilot context, include questionnaires, an urban dashboard, in-situ interviews and observations, evaluation probes, and system data analyses. The applicability of the selected and tested methods is discussed reflecting the process and achieved results.

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