Arsalan Gharaveis, Mardelle M. Shepley, Kirk Hamilton, Debajyoti Pati and Susan Rodiek
The purpose of this study is to explore the potential impacts of visibility on face-to-face communication among medical staff in community hospital emergency departments (EDs)…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore the potential impacts of visibility on face-to-face communication among medical staff in community hospital emergency departments (EDs). Also, the researchers investigated how different types of visibility can increase/decrease the efficiency of EDs’ medical staff.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used an exploratory approach to investigate the role of visibility in enhancement of medical staff communication in four EDs within the same hospital system. Overall, 12 semi-structured interviews and 48 h of observation were manually conducted.
Findings
The findings suggest that communication among medical staff can be improved by enhancement of different types of visibility (general and staff-to-staff) in EDs. Also, visibility facilitates patient assessments, overall supervision, comfort and asking for help while reducing stress and distractions.
Practical implications
The results of this investigation can inform hospital managers and healthcare designers about one of the important ways to improve registered nurses and physicians’ performance through environmental architectural design in the enhancement of communication.
Originality/value
Understanding the importance of visibility as a design element would provide a crucial principle for future ED designs. Although research has been conducted with different focuses and methods in other hospital departments, nothing similar to the current study in EDs was available in the healthcare design published literature.
Details
Keywords
Pariya Sheykhmaleki, Seyed Abbas Agha Yazdanfar and Sanaz Litkouhi
Although some architects have found spatial order and proportion strategy effective in designing the environment for autistic children, it is not clear what spatial ratios are…
Abstract
Purpose
Although some architects have found spatial order and proportion strategy effective in designing the environment for autistic children, it is not clear what spatial ratios are preferred for autistic people. Therefore, this study aims to find the desired ratio among autistic and non-autistic children.
Design/methodology/approach
The scale model questionnaire was chosen to determine the difference in the ratio preferences for autistic and non-autistic children, whereas two access types between the space zones are also considered. The questionnaire was administered to 50 autistic children, with a half-and-half distribution of moderate and mild autism groups, while males are twofold. It was also administered to 50 non-autistic children, approximately equal in terms of gender division. The scale model was designed in the form of a dollhouse to be played with a doll in 6 varied rooms categorized by 3 different ratios (1:1, golden ratio, 1.6:1 and 5:2) and 2 access types (linear and radial access) to measure how many times each room was selected by each group to run numerical analysis.
Findings
It was shown that, although the golden ratio has been previously considered in space design for autistic children, they appealed to the ratio of 2:5 with high frequency. While there is a significant difference between the spatial ratios preferred by autistic and non-autistic children choosing the golden ratio, the same type of space access system is preferred by both groups in their results.
Originality/value
Despite the prevalent use of the golden ratio in design for autism design, this research shaped an empirical study for autistic users concluding a different perspective in design for autism.