Book Review: Design for Critical Care: An Evidence-Based Approach

Abstract

Design for Critical Care: An Evidence-Based Approach Design for Critical Care: An Evidence-Based Approach. D. Kirk Hamilton, FAIA, FACHA, EDAC, and Mardelle McCuskey Shepley, DArch, AIA, ACHA, LEED® AP. (2010). Oxford, United Kingdom: Architectural Press/Elsevier. 308 pages.Design for Critical Care: An Evidence-Based Approach is a unique expression of design considerations suited for clinicians, administrators, and architects alike. Author Kirk Hamilton is the associate director and associate professor for the Center for Health Systems and Design at Texas A&M University. He is an established researcher specializing in how evidence-based design translates to healthcare outcomes. Kirk Hamilton is past-president of the American College of Healthcare Architects and past-chair of the ICU Design Committee for the Society of Critical Care Medicine. Coauthor Dr. Mardelle Shepley is the direc- tor of and professor in the Center for Health Systems and Design at Texas A&M. She has 25 years of experience as a registered architect and is the founder of a firm specializing in applied design research. Her research focuses on healthcare facility design. She has coauthored a previous text, Healthcare Environments for Children and Their Families. Collectively, their expertise is perfectly suited to bring us this current text, Design for Critical Care: An Evidence-Based Approach.Each section describes the research behind architectural decisions in the intensive care unit (ICU). Literally hundreds of references are analyzed to summarize the state of the science on the topic of architectural design in healthcare. Why evidence-based design? Hamilton explains that in design projects for the ICU environment, where lives are at stake and millions of dollars are invested, there is no room for subjective opinion. Evidence-based design takes the best available information to guide decision making as objectively as possible. The types of outcomes measured and discussed relate to issues such as staff productivity, time spent hunting and gathering, light, sound, noise, circulation, stress, infection control, and the ability to meet consumer needs. The economic outcomes of decision making are addressed in the debate about renovation and new construction.The analysis of best-practice examples also provides evidence. One chapter of the text describes the best features of 13 adult ICUs that have received the Society of Critical Care Medicine ICU design award. International trends through time are fully detailed, complete with diagrams and glossy, full-color pictures, so nothing is left to the imagination. …