Innovate and renovate: Environmental intensive care unit design.

This article describes the reallocation of space and construction of a new adult shock trauma intensive care unit implementing methods to mitigate the environmental impact. The environmental burden was reduced through innovative reallocation of space and diversity of lighting sources. Circular economy principles were implemented which enabled much of the infrastructure materials to be reused. Collaboration among interdisciplinary health care teams, such as described in this article, helped to ensure expertise was shared so that the environmental impact was lessened. This article provides insight into innovative methods to mitigate the carbon footprint of a critical care renovation project.

Intra-NICU Patient Transfers: A Study of Frequency and Family and Staff Perceptions.

AIMS: (a) Quantify frequency of patient moves within a NICU with single patient and semi-private rooms (SPR). (b) Compare staff and parent perceptions of these moves. METHODS: A hospital administrative database was evaluated to quantify the frequency of moves. A Room Change Questionnaire was devised to evaluate perceptions from NICU families and staff. RESULTS: Most families reported experiencing at least 1 patient move (92 percent), with the majority reporting at least 3 moves (58 percent). Staff perceived moves as negative significantly more than parents (p < .01), and overreported negative family perceptions (p < .01). Overall, moves did not bother families (52 percent); however, most families who moved 3 or more times reported at least 1 negative perception (63 percent). CONCLUSION: SFRs increase the number of patient moves. NICU staff's perception is significantly more negative than family's perception; however, most families who were moved frequently reported at least 1 negative perception.

Systems Delivery Innovation for Alzheimer Disease.

OBJECTIVE: The authors describe a comprehensive care model for Alzheimer disease (AD) that improves value within 1-3 years after implementation by leveraging targeted outpatient chronic care management, cognitively protective acute care, and timely caregiver support. METHODS: Using current best evidence, expert opinion, and macroeconomic modeling, the authors designed a comprehensive care model for AD that improves the quality of care while reducing total per capita healthcare spending by more than 15%. Cost savings were measured as reduced spending by payers. Cost estimates were derived from medical literature and national databases, including both public and private U.S. payers. All estimates reflect the value in 2015 dollars using a consumer price index inflation calculator. Outcome estimates were determined at year 2, accounting for implementation and steady-state intervention costs. RESULTS: After accounting for implementation and recurring operating costs of approximately $9.5 billion, estimated net cost savings of between $13 and $41 billion can be accomplished concurrently with improvements in quality and experience of coordinated chronic care ($0.01-$6.8 billion), cognitively protective acute care ($8.7-$26.6 billion), timely caregiver support ($4.3-$7.5 billion), and caregiver efficiency ($4.1-$7.2 billion). CONCLUSION: A high-value care model for AD may improve the experience of patients with AD while significantly lowering costs.

Transforming Integrated Care Through Co-production: A Systematic Review Using Meta-ethnography.

Introduction: There is a requirement for health and care systems and services to work on an equitable basis with people who use and provide integrated care. In response, co-production has become essential in the design and transformation of services. Globally, an array of approaches have been implemented to achieve this. This unique review explores multi-context and multi-method examples of co-production in integrated care using an exceptional combination of methods. Aim: To review and synthesise evidence that examines how co-production with service users, unpaid carers and members of staff can affect the design and transformation of integrated care services. Methods: Systematic review using meta-ethnography with input from a patient and public involvement (PPI) co-production advisory group. Meta-ethnography can generate theories by interpreting patterns between studies set in different contexts. Nine academic and four grey literature databases were searched for publications between 2012-2022. Data were extracted, analysed, translated and interpreted using the seven phases of meta-ethnography and PPI. Findings: A total of 2,097 studies were identified. 10 met the inclusion criteria. Studies demonstrated a variety of integrated care provisions for diverse populations. Co-production was most successful through person-centred design, innovative planning, and collaboration. Key impacts on service transformation were structural changes, accessibility, and acceptability of service delivery. The methods applied organically drew out new interpretations, namely a novel cyclic framework for application within integrated care. Conclusion: Effective co-production requires a process with a well-defined focus. Implementing co-delivery, with peer support, facilitates service user involvement to be embedded at a higher level on the 'ladder of co-production'. An additional step on the ladder is proposed; a cyclic co-delivery framework. This innovative and operational development has potential to enable better-sustained person-centred integrated care services.

Accelerated transformation programme for healthcare services: structure, function and the lessons learnt.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's (KSA) Ministry of Health's (MOH) healthcare transformation strategy aims to improve the quality of life of Saudi citizens in line with the 'Vision 2030' strategic objectives. The MOH is reforming the way healthcare will be managed in the future and is in the process of transferring healthcare service delivery responsibilities to clusters with ratified boards, while also moving the MOH from a provision of service model to a regulatory one. Several early pathfinding clusters were initiated in the eastern central and western regions. To ensure northern and southern regions were not left behind, the early innovation, while awaiting cluster nomination status, the northern and southern business units of Health Holding Company implemented the accelerated transformation programme (ATP). The ATP's remit was to develop capabilities and stimulate local engagement and ownership in the healthcare transformation process. This paper summarises the process of healthcare transformation undertaken in the northern and southern regions of KSA to date. It reviews the success in engaging with local healthcare professional communities in a standardised way and the learning from previous clusters, and elaborates on emerging implementation issues and how we may overcome them and introduce the lessons learnt from this journey.

Safety in Health Care: The Impact of Operating Room Design.

The science of operating room design has grown over the past 20 years due to the realization that the physical environment influences health care provider performance and patient outcomes. Medical errors occur when the normal workflow in an operating room is disrupted as providers must overcome sub-optimal conditions. All aspects of the physical environment can impact operating room flow. Studying the layout, contents, ergonomics, and environmental parameters of the operating can lead improved work conditions resulting improved patient and provider safety. At the forefront of operating room design science is the use of simulation and the evaluation of new technologies.

Making a "home" into a home: How design of aged-care homes impacts residents.

The move into residential aged care is a difficult transition for many people. The place may be called an aged-care or nursing "home", but for many residents it does not feel like a home at all. This paper explores issues experienced by older people who are trying to make themselves at home in aged care. The authors present two studies examining residents' perceptions of the aged-care environment. The findings suggest that residents experience significant challenges. Residents' identities are influenced by their ability to keep treasured objects and personalise their rooms, and the design and accessibility of communal areas influences residents' willingness to spend time in them. For many residents, their private spaces are more appealing than communal areas, resulting in extended time alone in their rooms. However, personal items have to be discarded due to space issues and/or private rooms can become cluttered with personal items and become difficult to use. The authors suggest that much can be done to improve the design of aged-care homes and enable residents to feel more at home. Of particular importance is providing ways for residents to personalise their living space and make it feel homelike.

The Bioethics of Built Space: Health Care Architecture as a Medical Intervention.

Decisions made in health care architecture have profound effects on patients, families, and staff. Drawing on research in medicine, neuroscience, and psychology, design is being used increasingly often to alter specific behaviors, mediate interpersonal interactions, and affect patient outcomes. As a result, the built environment in health care should in some instances be considered akin to a medical intervention, subject to ethical scrutiny and involving protections for those affected. Here we present two case studies. The first includes work aimed at manipulating the behavior of persons with neurocognitive impairments, often in long-term care facilities. This is done to ensure safety and minimize conflicts with staff, but it raises questions about freedom, consent, and disclosure. The second concerns design science in service of improved outcomes, which involves research on improving patient outcomes or the performance of health care teams. There is evidence that in some ICU designs, certain rooms correlate to better outcomes, giving rise to questions about equity and fairness. In other cases, a facility's architecture seems to be putting a finger on the scale of equipoise, raising questions about the intentionality of clinical judgment, freedom of choice, and disclosure. As a result of this innovation occurring outside the boundaries of traditional care delivery and oversight, important ethical questions emerge concerning both the individual patient and patient populations. We discuss, analyze, and make recommendations about each and suggest future directions for these and related issues.

Outcomes That Matter Most to Young Adults Diagnosed with Cancer: A Qualitative Study.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to provide insight for improvement in care for young adults diagnosed with cancer (YADC), by identifying underemphasized outcomes that strongly matter to YADC and the gaps in care that may limit achieving these outcomes for this unique and vulnerable population. Methods: Twenty-seven YADC, ages 25-39, participated in unstructured discussions focusing on topics relating to diagnosis, daily experiences living with cancer outside of the clinical setting, goals, concerns, and clinical care experience. Most participants engaged in group discussions using Experience Group methodology. Discussions were designed to collect information on three dimensions of health: capability, comfort, and calm (CCC). Data were coded using thematic analysis with NVivo software. Results: Several themes were identified within the CCC framework: capability in terms of confronting mortality at a young age, losing youthful identity and control over major life course decisions, especially fertility, and debilitating side effects, comfort in terms of the lack of understanding from peers and family and the fear of cancer recurrence, and calm was discussed as the difficulty of making complex medical decisions, financial toxicity, and loss of clinical support in survivorship. Conclusion: This research highlighted four care additions that are important for YADC: (1) concise and understandable education about their condition and treatment; (2) same-age support groups; (3) fertility support; and (4) better care transitions for life after cancer. These findings emphasize the importance of creating a collaborative, multidisciplinary care team and a holistic approach with care innovations that support clinicians to meet the unique needs of YADC.

Reimagining Construction and Renovation of Health Care Facilities During Emergence from a Pandemic.

The built environment has been integral to response to the global pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). In particular, engineering controls to mitigate risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and other newly emergent respiratory pathogens in the future will be important. Anticipating emergence from this pandemic, or at least adaptation given increasing administration of effective vaccines, and the safety of patients, personnel, and others in health care facilities remain the core goals. This article summarizes known risks and highlights prevention strategies for daily care as well as response to emergent infectious diseases and this parapandemic phase.

A Digital Platform for Facilitating Personalized Dementia Care in Nursing Homes: Formative Evaluation Study.

BACKGROUND: Care personalization is key to the well-being of people with dementia according to person-centered care. With the development of the internet of things, a large quantity of personal data can be collected securely and reliably, which has the potential to facilitate care personalization for people with dementia. Yet, there are limited assistive technologies developed for this purpose, and the user acceptance of assistive technologies is low in nursing homes. Therefore, through a data-enabled design approach, a digital platform was developed for helping the care team in a nursing home to personalize dementia care, specifically in the management of behavioral and psychological dementia symptoms. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the digital platform in a real-life context with potential users from the following two aspects: (1) to explore if the digital platform could help with generating insights on the current state of each person with dementia and (2) to gather feedback on the digital platform from the care team. METHODS: The digital platform was deployed in the nursing home for 7 weeks and the data collected were visualized and presented to the care team via the digital platform. The visualizations were analyzed by the researchers for pattern detection. Meanwhile, the care team was asked to examine the visualizations and were interviewed for the following: (1) if any insights and actions were generated from the examination, (2) the usefulness of the digital platform, and (3) the improvements they would like to see. RESULTS: The data collected on the digital platform demonstrated its potential for pattern detection. Insights were generated by the care team and categorized into "client level," "ward level," and "team level." The corresponding actions taken by the care team were classified into "investigation" and "implementation." User acceptance varied across the care team, and three aspects of improvement for the digital platform were identified. CONCLUSIONS: By evaluating the digital platform, this study gained insights on applying data-enabled design for personalizing dementia care; besides, it offers future researchers some recommendations on how to integrate assistive technologies in the nursing home context.

Transformation of health care and the new model of care in Saudi Arabia: Kingdom's Vision 2030.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia espoused "Vision 2030" as a strategy for economic development and national growth. The vision demonstrated the Kingdom's objectives to become a pioneer nation globally by achieving three main goals: a vibrant society, a thriving economy, and an ambitious nation. To fulfill this, the Kingdom launched a national transformation program (NTP) as outlined in "vision 2030" in June 2016. The health care transformation is one of the eight themes of the NTP's. The history of health care facilities in the Kingdom is almost a century. Although the Kingdom has made notable progress in improving its population's health over recent decades, it needs to modernize the health care system to reach the "vision 2030" goal. This article aims to describe the new Model of Care (MOC) according to the recent Saudi health care transformation under the Kingdom's vision 2030. The MOC concept started with understanding the current state and collecting learnings. It is based on the six systems of care (SOC)- keeping well, planned procedure, women & children, urgent problems, chronic conditions, and the last phase of life. The SOC is cut across different "service layers" to support people's stay well and efficiently get them healthy again when they need care. The new MOC describes a total of forty-two interventions, of which twenty-seven split across the six SOC and the rest fifteen cut-across the multiple SOC. Implementation of all MOC interventions will streamline the Saudi health care system to embrace the Kingdom's "vision 2030".

Development of Palliative and End of Life Care: The Current Situation in Saudi Arabia.

As part of the health care reforms and transformation project of the Vision 2030, a group of expert healthcare professionals was tasked with the development of a model of care for patients with life-shortening illnesses in Saudi Arabia. This Care Design Group (CDG 1-3) held a series of workshops and conducted surveys and online discussions to systematically document and develop a model of care. These interventions were aimed at achieving a national standard of care. This short article is a description of this very successful process of development.

Adapting Mobile and Wearable Technology to Provide Support and Monitoring in Rehabilitation for Dementia: Feasibility Case Series.

BACKGROUND: Mobile and wearable devices are increasingly being used to support our everyday lives and track our behavior. Since daily support and behavior tracking are two core components of cognitive rehabilitation, such personal devices could be employed in rehabilitation approaches aimed at improving independence and engagement among people with dementia. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this work was to investigate the feasibility of using smartphones and smartwatches to augment rehabilitation by providing adaptable, personalized support and objective, continuous measures of mobility and activity behavior. METHODS: A feasibility study comprising 6 in-depth case studies was carried out among people with early-stage dementia and their caregivers. Participants used a smartphone and smartwatch for 8 weeks for personalized support and followed goals for quality of life. Data were collected from device sensors and logs, mobile self-reports, assessments, weekly phone calls, and interviews. This data were analyzed to evaluate the utility of sensor data generated by devices used by people with dementia in an everyday life context; this was done to compare objective measures with subjective reports of mobility and activity and to examine technology acceptance focusing on usefulness and health efficacy. RESULTS: Adequate sensor data was generated to reveal behavioral patterns, even for minimal device use. Objective mobility and activity measures reflecting fluctuations in participants' self-reported behavior, especially when combined, may be advantageous in revealing gradual trends and could provide detailed insights regarding goal attainment ratings. Personalized support benefited all participants to varying degrees by addressing functional, memory, safety, and psychosocial needs. A total of 4 of 6 (67%) participants felt motivated to be active by tracking their step count. One participant described a highly positive impact on mobility, anxiety, mood, and caregiver burden, mainly as a result of navigation support and location-tracking tools. CONCLUSIONS: Smartphones and wearables could provide beneficial and pervasive support and monitoring for rehabilitation among people with dementia. These results substantiate the need for further investigation on a larger scale, especially considering the inevitable presence of mobile and wearable technology in our everyday lives for years to come.

The Dual Rounding Model: Forging Therapeutic Alliances in Oncology and Palliative Care.

Inpatients with solid tumors at Duke University Hospital in Durham, NC, are cared for in a dynamic integrated care model that incorporates medical oncology and palliative care. This has profound implications for patients, their loved ones, medical and surgical staff, and oncology nurses. As a nurse with less than three years of experience, my participation in a setting that uses the Dual Rounding Model has accelerated my professional and personal development. During a typical shift, I am an oncology nurse, a palliative care nurse, and a hospice nurse.
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Prevention by Design: Construction and Renovation of Health Care Facilities for Patient Safety and Infection Prevention.

The built environment supports the safe care of patients in health care facilities. Infection preventionists and health care epidemiologists have expertise in prevention and control of health care-associated infections (HAIs) and assist with designing and constructing facilities to prevent HAIs. However, design elements are often missing from initial concepts. In addition, there is a large body of evidence that implicates construction and renovation as being associated with clusters of HAIs, many of which are life threatening for select patient populations. This article summarizes known risks and prevention strategies within a framework for patient safety.

Identifying elements of the health care environment that contribute to wayfinding.

OBJECTIVES: Identify aspects of the physical environment that inform wayfinding for visitors. Compare and contrast the identified elements in frequency of use. Gain an understanding of the role the different elements and attributes play in the wayfinding process. BACKGROUND: Wayfinding by patients and visitors is a documented problem in healthcare facilities. The few studies that have been conducted have identified some of the environmental elements that influence wayfinding. Moreover, literatures comparing different design strategies are absent. Currently there is limited knowledge to inform prioritization of strategies to optimize wayfinding within capital budget. METHODS: A multi-method, non-experimental, qualitative, exploratory study design was adopted. The study was conducted in a large, acute care facility in Texas. Ten healthy adults in five age groups, representing both sexes, participated in the study as simulated visitors. Data collection included (a) verbal protocols during navigation; (b) questionnaire; and (c) verbal directions from hospital employees. Data were collected during Fall 2013. RESULTS: Physical design elements contributing to wayfinding include signs, architectural features, maps, interior elements (artwork, display boards, information counters, etc.), functional clusters, interior elements pairing, structural elements, and furniture. The information is used in different ways - some for primary navigational information, some for supporting navigational information, and some as familiarity markers. CONCLUSIONS: The physical environment has a critical role in aiding navigation in healthcare facilities. Architectural feature is the top contributor in the domain of architecture. Artwork (painting, sculpture, etc.) is the top contributor in the domain of interior design.