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Topics - Environment & Design

Additional Resources

Organizations and Conferences

The Symposium on Healthcare Design is an annual event focusing on the challenges of creating a healthcare environment that improves the quality of care and ultimately increases the profitability of the facility. Its mission is “To provide a singularly unique opportunity for healthcare administrators, executives, care providers, architects and designers to fully understand how the design of the physical environment can improve the profitability of a healthcare facility and quality of patient care for all those involved with working in, visiting, and being treated in any healthcare setting.” For more information, see http://www.hcaredesign.com.

The Center for Health Design is a nonprofit, non-membership organization working to make people's lives better by demonstrating that supportive building design can enhance health and well-being. The Center sponsors research studies related to health care environments (described on their website), holds symposia, recommends publications and other resources, has an online newsletter, and in other ways serves as a resource related to the design of healing environments.

Center for Health Design
3470 Mt. Diablo Blvd.
Lafayette, CA 94549
(925) 299-3631
http://www.healthdesign.org

The annual conference, The Physical and Developmental Environment of the High-Risk Infant, is held in Florida. The conference provides a forum for health care professionals, basic scientists, administrators, parent and other interested individuals to report current studies/activities and to share share experiences regarding the neonatal intensive care unit environment and practices. For further information about the dates and call for papers for the the Physical and Developmental Environment of the High Risk Infant Annual Conference, call 1-888-873-2674, and press 2 for continuing education, or e-mail Conted@hsc.usf.edu.

This conference is sponsored by The Physical and Developmental Environment of the High-Risk Infant, a national resource center at the University of South Florida. The center was established for the purpose of conducting an organized, systematic study and analysis of infant intensive care practices and environmental factors that may affect the long-term outcome and development of high-risk infants. The website for the center has several useful links.

The Physical and Developmental Environment of the High-Risk Infant
Department of Community and Family Health
College of Public Health
University of South Florida
3500 E. Fletcher Ave. Suite 511
Tampa, FL 33613-4708
Phone: (813) 974-7269
Fax: (813) 974-7271

Publications, Videos, and websites

The Academy Journal is an online journal of the Academy of Architecture for Health, a professional interest area of the American Institute of Architects. The journal addresses topics related to design of health care environments. A NICU, cancer centers, and other environments have been highlighted at http://www.e-architect.com/pia/acadjour/home.asp in full-length articles accompanied by photos and drawings.

The hospital website for Alta Bates Medical Center in Berkeley, CA, offers families the opportunity to visit the NICU prior to admission. The site contains various pictures as well as information regarding staff, equipment, and the developmental needs of infants.

Alta Bates Medical Center
Newborn Intensive Care Unit
Berkeley, CA
http://www.altabates.com

Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle, WA, offers an on-line virtual tour of places in and around the facility. The various locations highlighted include the newly renovated infant intensive care unit.

Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center
Seattle, WA
http://www.seattlechildrens.org/

Creating a Home in Nursing Homes: Perspectives From the Inside. A 21 minute video documenting focus group discussions with older people, their families, and staff.

Design Planning for Newborn Intensive Care (3rd ed.) Institute for Family Centered Care.  Planning tools and CD with pictures on innovative approaches to the architecture and design of Newborn Intensive Care Units.

Hospital Interior Architecture: Creating Healing Environments for Special Patient Populations by Jain Malkin (Paperback - April 1992) explores the latest research on the relationship between the environment and healing, surveys a range of outstanding facilities, and enables readers to gain the leading edge in a highly competitive field. The author, Jain Malkin, Inc. - Interior Architecture for Health Care Design - can be accessed on the Internet at: http://www.jainmalkin.com.  The website includes a statement of design philosophy, examples of projects, awards, and links.

Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospital and Health Care Facilities is a publication of the American Institute of Architects. The 2001 edition is now available for purchase the American Institute of Architects' order department at 800/ 365-2724. Information about the guidelines can be found on the internet at http://www.e-architect.com.

A special supplement to the Journal of Perinatology focuses on sound, its impact on fragile infants, and the neonatal environment (Journal of Perinatology, 20(8s), December, 2000.) Copies/reprints can be ordered from the publisher at http://www.nature.com/jp.

Newborn Intensive Care: Changing Practice, Changing Attitudes. Institute for Family-Centered Care. A 9-segment training video profiling changes toward family-centered, developmentally supportive care at Phoenix Children's Hospital.

The document Recommended Standards for Newborn ICU Design: Report of the Fifth Consensus Conference on Newborn ICU Design, January 2002 is available online.

Smith, S. (2002). Children’s builds private ICU rooms. This article can be accessed on the internet at http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/.

University of Virginia Health System
Charlottesville, Virginia
www.hsc.virginia.edu

White, R., Martin, G. I., & Graven, S.N. (1999). Newborn intensive care unit design: Scientific and practical considerations. In G. B. Avery, M. F. Fletcher, & M. G. MacDonald (Eds.), Neonatology: Pathophysiology and Management of the Newborn(pp. 49-59). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Williams, S. T. & Burger, C. A. (1998). A Research-Based Environment: A NICU that feels like home. The Academy Journal is available online.


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