Member Spotlight: Research-based Innovations for Designing Staff Restorative Environments in Healthcare Facilities

In 2019, NIHD and the NIHD Foundation were thrilled to award the Lady with the Lamp Research Grant to Adeleh Nejati, AIA, PhD, LEED AP, WELL AP, EDAC, NIHD member Kathy Okland, RN, MPH, EDAC, and Linda Knodel, MHA, MSN, NE-BC, CPHQ, FACHE, FAAN for their study titled Research-based Innovations for Designing Staff Restorative Environments in Healthcare Facilities.

We wish to share a small excerpt from the final report, and invite you to download the full report below:

Preventing nurse burnout and recovering from workplace stress requires supportive policies and programs to assure nurses have appropriate breaks, as well as, health-promoting respite areas to accommodate restoring and refreshing breaks. The critical success factor for engaging and supporting restoration practices in the culture of nursing is having an integrated platform of policies, programs, and environmental design interventions. Without doubt, healthcare providers have been experiencing incredible burden due to COVID-19. However, as a silver lining, this pandemic has highlighted the existing issue of nurses’ burnout with inspiring stories worth noting.


RESEARCH TEAM:

Adeleh Nejati, AIA, PhD, LEED AP, WELL AP, EDAC
Associate Principal, Healthcare Planner and Researcher
HMC Architects
Email: adelehnejati@gmail.com

Linda Knodel, MHA, MSN, NE-BC, CPHQ, FACHE, FAAN
Senior Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive National Nursing Strategy and Leadership Kaiser Permanente
Email: Linda.J.Knodel@kp.org

Erin Clark, RN, MS, EDAC*
Operations Design Specialist
ClarkRN, Inc
Email: erin.clark@clarkrn.com

Kathy Okland, RN, MPH, EDAC
*
Clinical Consultant Emerita
Email: kathy.okland@gmail.com

*NIHD Member


NIHD collaborates with clinicians, design professionals and industry partners in the healthcare design process to shape the future of healthcare design.