Presentation
The built environment as a mediator to diagnostic outcomes in women
Event Type
Oral Presentations
TimeWednesday, June 8th4:00pm - 4:30pm EDT
Location
DescriptionA substantial body of literature helps us understand the influence of the built environment on improved outcomes in health and healthcare. Whether safety, satisfaction, or even productivity, the macro and micro environment can play a direct and/or indirect role. Credible evidence surrounding topics such as walkability to promote physical activity for health or lighting as an intervention to reduce the risk of medication errors is available to make these connections, but there are many areas where the evidence just doesn’t exist. As part of Medstar’s Patient Safety Learning Lab (PSLL) research team, The Center for Health Design is investigating the role of the built environment as a mediating variable in the misdiagnosis of cardiovascular disease in women. However, the starting points are slim. We have little to no information about the role of the environment in facilitating an accurate diagnosis, let alone the specifics that drill down to cardiovascular disease or gender. As part of the project, we are using GIS analysis of publicly available datasets to explore aspects of the neighborhood (macro) environment that influence cardiovascular disease hospitalization and mortality, as well as hypothesizing about design aspects of the clinic (micro) environment that might contribute to a more timely and accurate diagnosis. The looming questions remain:
• Can the design of the environment influence improved diagnosis?
• Do perceptions of a clinical environment differ by sex and/or gender?
Starting with benchmarking site visits at two dozen outpatient sites focused on women’s health or cardiovascular treatment, The Center’s team has identified several challenges and opportunities. The next phases include clinic-based observations to identify the tasks in a typical patient-clinician encounter and a natural experiment with a crossover design. Data from these phases will be used to understand the influence of certain exam room design features on the patient experience, including empathy and communication. Further, the investigation aims to establish any differences in perceptions between men and women, as well as differences in perception between patients and care providers.
• Can the design of the environment influence improved diagnosis?
• Do perceptions of a clinical environment differ by sex and/or gender?
Starting with benchmarking site visits at two dozen outpatient sites focused on women’s health or cardiovascular treatment, The Center’s team has identified several challenges and opportunities. The next phases include clinic-based observations to identify the tasks in a typical patient-clinician encounter and a natural experiment with a crossover design. Data from these phases will be used to understand the influence of certain exam room design features on the patient experience, including empathy and communication. Further, the investigation aims to establish any differences in perceptions between men and women, as well as differences in perception between patients and care providers.