Research Project: ACTS (Architecture at strokeunits) Stroke care units: evaluating the design quality and its impact on patients health, quality of care, and perception of the environment

Project leader
Marie Elf
Project Members
Anna Anåker
Lena von Koch , Arbetsterapi KI
Project Period
-
Project Status
Present
Description
The overall aim is to examine the complex relationships among the quality of the physical environment, the quality of care
provided, health outcomes and perception of the design. In addition, the aim is to compare the architectual intention with the
quality of the design. The research will focus on the design of health care environments aimed for stroke care; nurturing crossdisciplinary
insights into design (involving experts in architecture and health caring sciences). There is an emerging evidence
base from healthcare architecture, environmental psychology, nursing, medicine that collectively reinforces the expectation that
safety and quality of care should and can be designed into the architecture of healthcare environments. Thus, questions are
raised concerning how well this evidence-based knowledge is integrated into newly built stroke units? Do designers take advantage of the existing evidence that can support their decision-making regarding the design? How well is the design adapted to the stroke patient?s special needs, requirements and difficulties? Does the design of the physical environment facilitate or impede the quality of the patient care? With a case-study methodology we will study newly built stroke care units and identify factors in the physical environment that influence patient?s health and care processes. Several data collection methods (direct observations of care processes, interviews, questionnairs, and assessments of building programs will be used.
Keywords
stokevård, evidensbaserd design, fysisk vårdmiljö, byggdmiljö, Stroke care, evidence-based design, physical healthcare environment, built environment
Research Profile
Health and Social Welfare
Subject
Caring Science/Nursing
Financiers
FORMAS
Stroke förbundet