Premature babies vulnerable “Premature babies, with their growing brains, are especially sensitive to loud noises. In spite of this, neonatal units often generate a great deal of loud noise from equipment, alarms, and adult voices. And incubator vibrates like a drum, reinforcing sounds from outside,” explains Dr. Johannes Van den Berg, a neonatal nursing specialist. […]
Healing environment in The Meander Medical Centre
The Meander Medical Centre in Amersfoort, the Netherlands, was built entirely according to healing environment principles. The recently opened Meander Medical Centre in Amersfoort, the Netherlands, was built entirely according to these principles. The layout and design of this hospital are intended to facilitate much-needed rest and promote the recovery process. At a recent seminar […]
A healing environment for violent offenders
Violent offenders From the outside, Helix looks like a modern office complex on a hill nestled amid beautiful, unspoiled scenery. From the large windows of the patients’ rooms, you can gaze out for miles over a panorama of spruce and pine forests. Helix, opened in December 2012, is a forensic psychiatric care facility. Many of […]
Healing in the Jungle
The Jungle Happiness is a great healer. We want the stay in a hospital to be a fun and exciting experience for the kids,” explains Tomas Gedda, Head of fundraising at the Foundation for Queen Silvia Children’s Hospital in Gothenburg. Four years have now passed since Tomas Gedda embarked on the successful healing jungle rooms […]
Serene low-risk births in Birmingham
Low-risk “Given the difficulty of communicating with some of our patients, it was important to create an environment where they could feel safe and supported by our midwives,” says Paul Scott, capital projects manager at the City Hospital in Birmingham. The Serenity Midwifery Birth Centre provides low-risk women with a tranquil, state-of-the-art place to give birth. “It was an […]
Communication a key issue in Emergency units
Communication Stress levels run high in the emergency department. Mistakes are unacceptable. Patients’ lives depend on the skill and focus of the emergency medical team. Clear, precise communication is invaluable, so the University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein in Lübeck, Germany, decided to create the optimum conditions for it. Patients’ lives depend on the skill and focus […]
Generative space design in healthcare
Space design Fiona de Vos works with hospitals, nursing homes, mental healthcare facilities and other healthcare organizations to define strategic objectives and design goals from the perspective of evidence-based space design and a healing environment. She is the expert teaching this course at the University of Amsterdam. And also the founder of Studio dVO, a consulting and research firm […]
Effects of noise and stress to nurses
Nurses Pernilla Svensson is a registered nurse in Klippan, near Helsingborg in southern Sweden. For the past 20 years, she has worked in a variety of hospital settings. ECO for Sustainable Design filmed her sharing some of her experiences regarding the working environment in the healthcare sector. Without much previous reflection on noise and the […]
Activity noise level halved in Birmingham ward
At Sandwell General Hospital in Birmingham, England, replacing the old, reflective ceiling with a highly sound-absorbent Class A ceiling has reduced noise levels in the corridors of Priory Ward 4 by half. Acoustics “A major improvement,” according to Andrew Parkin, an acoustics expert at Cundall, a consulting firm. See the sound propagation animation below. Noise […]
Acoustic research in care of the elderly
Scientists are currently investigating the role of acoustics in the care of the elderly, under the leadership of Nicole van Hout. She is co-owner of Level Acoustics and is participating in a major research project entitled “Life enrichment care. Building physics interventions for the well-being of frail elderly.” The project aims to enhance physical environmental […]
