In this research paper, we will first discuss current problems in health care design and what improvements can be made. Then we will proceed into how hospitals and nursing homes are “going green”. Lastly, we will touch the psychological effects design has on patients and how design can be used to benefit the health of patients. All in all, we are thinking as if we are designers involved in the health care industry and are looking into becoming environmentally efficient, while maintaining a pleasing aesthetic and comfortably accommodating people in bad times of health.
Billions of dollars are invested annually towards the effectiveness of healthcare design. Current problems in healthcare design are prevalent and prove to impact the care of the patient. According to the Center for Health Design, in a review of more than 600 articles, researchers found that there was a link between the physical environment ( single-bed or multiple-bed patient rooms) and patient (fewer adverse events and better health care quality) and staff outcomes (reduced stress and fatigue and increased effectiveness in delivering care) (Cohen, Arch, and Allison). Some of the largest issues in the design of healthcare facilities relate directly to centering care around the patient while providing a safe, effective and efficient environment for the staff.
Multiple studies have found that the most prominent issues in the design of healthcare facilities root from inefficiency which pose safety hazards to patients. Many of the design problems at hand take place outside of the patient rooms and in the staff workplaces. Issues associated with construction such as renovations in the healthcare facility prove to be hazardous to the health of the staff, patients ...
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...hd. The Center for Health Design, 2004. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. http://www.healthdesign.org/chd/research/role-physical- environment- hospital-21st-century
Dalke, Hilary. "Colour and Lighting in Hospital Design." Optics and Laser Technology 38 (2006), http://www.sciencedirect.com (accessed November 17, 2013).
Boykins, Maryia A. "The Psychology of Color in Healthcare." PN 63 (2009), http://sfx.calstate.edu:9003 (accessed November 17, 2013).
Boykins, Maryia A. "The Psychology of Color in Healthcare." PN 63 (2009), http://sfx.calstate.edu:9003 (accessed November 17, 2013).
Boykins, Maryia A. "The Psychology of Color in Healthcare." PN 63 (2009), http://sfx.calstate.edu:9003 (accessed November 17, 2013).
Dalke, Hilary. "Colour and Lighting in Hospital Design." Optics and Laser Technology 38 (2006), http://www.sciencedirect.com (accessed November 17, 2013).
"Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health." Public Health Reports. July/August 1998: 372 EBSCOhost. Available <http://www.epnet.com/ehost/login.html>. (11 February 1999)
Jewelll, N., & Russell, K. (1992). Current health status of african americans. Journal of community health nursing, 9(3), 161-169.
Miller, J., & Garran, A. M. (2008). Racism in the United States: Implications for the helping professions. Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.
Awad, Germine H., Kevin Cokley, and Joseph Ravitch. "Attitudes Toward Affirmative Action: A Comparison Of Color-Blind Versus Modern Racist Attitudes." Journal Of Applied Social Psychology 35.7 (2005): 1384-1399. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
Willie, Charles V., Bernard M. Kramer, and Bertram S. Brown, eds. Racism Racism Racism and Mental Health. N.p.: Univerity of Pittsburgurgh Press, 1973. Print. Contemporary Community Health Series.
According to the institute of Medicine (IOM), racism is a problem in the health care system, that is, the difference between the quality of health care received by minorities and non-minorities is due to racism. IOM is a nonprofit organization that advises the federal government and the public on science policy. It released a report that on average, minorities receive a lower quality of care, even when factors such as income and type of health insurance are accounted for. The report by IOM states that racial stereotypes and prejudice are the cause of the health care disparities. The article by IOM points ...
Race-based medicine is not meant to divide people, but rather to give better medical help to people of a certain demographic. Race-based medicine is created based on knowledge of predispositions of any given race. For example, it is a fact that heart disease is the leading cause of death for racial groups including African-Americans, Hispanics, and whites in the United States. When medical experts have this knowledge, the process of making diagnoses is
Williams, D. R., & Jackson, P. (2014, April 1). Health Affairs. Social Sources Of Racial Disparities In Health. Retrieved April 29, 2014, from http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/24/2/325.short
In a stroke of genius, Stein found a way to test patients’ satisfaction with the newly introduced black sheets. The study he came up with was truly “double-blind”: Stein was kept completely unaware of which groups got which sheets, and all of the patients testing the sheets were born without eyes. This keen bit of experimental design ensured that no test subject could be swayed by color prejudice. On average, every patient that received black bedsheets rated their experience just as highly as the white-sheet recipients.
Seeking to position lower socioeconomic status above racial/ethnic biases or vice versa is irresponsible to the goal of eliminating healthcare delivery differences at large. Both these are realities of a group of people who are not receiving the same level of care from the healthcare professionals although they exist within one of the most resource rich countries in the world, the United States. According to House & Williams (2000), “racism restricts and truncates socioeconomic attainment” (page, 106). This alone will hinder good health and spur on disparities as racism reduces the level of education and income as well as the prospect of better jobs. Blacksher (2008) cites the nation’s institutionalized racism as one of the leading factors
Being a resident of South Carolina, African-American Culture was chosen as part of the applied learning project for the Intercultural Nursing class, because African-Americans make up more than a quarter of this state’s population. According to the 2010 United States Census Bureau, the total population for South Carolina (S.C.) is 4,625,364, with 27.9% being of African-American descent. The purpose of this paper is to develop an understanding and sensitivity to issues and cultural variances or phenomena that are unique to the African-American Culture. Another goal is to identify nursing interventions that are important for the nurse to consider in caring for this population. These phenomena’s include variances in social organization, communication, space, perception of time, environmental control, and biological variations associated with the African-American culture. (Giger, 2013 and South Carolina minority, n.d.)
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In order to function well mentally one is perceived to have a healthy mental perspective. People of color are no different from their White counterparts when it comes to thought processing abilities. The ability to have a positive outlook on life can be found deep within all humankind. The thought of a mental defect or illness among people of color is often met with stigmas and hesitation.
Salisbury, J., & Byrd, S. (n.d.). Why Diversity Matters in Health Care. In CSA Bulletin.
The purpose of renovating a health care facility is to add new amenities and improve the existing ones. For successful renovation, one needs to plan on how the whole process is going to take place. “This process begins with the strategic direction for the organization and integrates facility planning with market demand and service line planning, operations improvement initiatives, and anticipated investments in new technology” (Hayward, 2006, Chapter 1). Successful facility planning should include a review how long the renovation will take, how much it will cost, and what changes the renovation will bring.