Impact of floor plans on visibility among healthcare members in inpatient care units: Employing agent-based simulation and social network analysis

IF 3.1 1区艺术学 0 ARCHITECTURE

Frontiers of Architectural Research Pub Date : 2024-08-23 DOI:10.1016/j.foar.2024.07.007

Hao Yuan, Ying Zhou

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Healthcare collaboration is crucial for reducing medical errors and ensuring patient safety, and effective collaboration is closely linked to visibility. However, research on how floor plans affect visibility among healthcare members (VHM) in inpatient care units is still insufficient, complicating architectural design decisions. This stems from the lack of methods to assess VHM in inpatient care units, where healthcare members' movements continuously alter their relative positions and visual relationships.

This study proposes a novel method integrating agent-based simulation and social network analysis to assess VHM. The method first collects behavioral data from healthcare members to execute agent-based simulation. Subsequently, the simulated positions of healthcare members are used to construct visibility networks. Finally, social network analysis is applied to evaluate the VHM.

The findings indicate: (1) the “multi-ring + branching” corridor shape exhibits the highest visibility; (2) shared staff stations improve visibility across different healthcare professionals; (3) spatial relationships between nurse stations and assigned patient rooms affect visibility disparities; (4) mobile nursing stations and interconnected support areas enhance visual communication across disparate zones.

This research provides the first quantitative analysis of floor plan effects on VHM. The proposed method offers broad applicability for enhancing visibility assessment, improving healthcare collaboration and reducing medical errors.

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平面图对住院护理单位医疗保健成员可见性的影响：采用基于代理的模拟和社会网络分析

医疗协作对于减少医疗差错和确保患者安全至关重要，有效协作与可见性密切相关。然而，关于楼层平面图如何影响住院护理单元中医疗保健成员（VHM）的可见性的研究仍然不足，这使建筑设计决策变得复杂。这源于缺乏评估住院护理单位VHM的方法，在那里医疗保健成员的运动不断改变他们的相对位置和视觉关系。本文提出了一种基于智能体仿真和社会网络分析相结合的VHM评估方法。该方法首先从医疗保健成员收集行为数据，以执行基于代理的模拟。随后，利用医疗保健成员的模拟位置构建可见性网络。最后，运用社会网络分析对VHM进行评价。结果表明：(1)“多环+分支”廊道形态的能见度最高；(2)共享工作人员站提高了不同医疗保健专业人员的可视性；(3)护士站与指定病房之间的空间关系影响能见度差异；(4)流动护理站和相互关联的支持区域增强了不同区域之间的视觉交流。本研究首次提供了平面图对VHM影响的定量分析。该方法在增强可视性评估、改善医疗协作和减少医疗差错方面具有广泛的适用性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Frontiers of Architectural Research ARCHITECTURE-

CiteScore

6.20

自引率

2.90%

发文量

430

审稿时长

30 weeks

期刊介绍： Frontiers of Architectural Research is an international journal that publishes original research papers, review articles, and case studies to promote rapid communication and exchange among scholars, architects, and engineers. This journal introduces and reviews significant and pioneering achievements in the field of architecture research. Subject areas include the primary branches of architecture, such as architectural design and theory, architectural science and technology, urban planning, landscaping architecture, existing building renovation, and architectural heritage conservation. The journal encourages studies based on a rigorous scientific approach and state-of-the-art technology. All published papers reflect original research works and basic theories, models, computing, and design in architecture. High-quality papers addressing the social aspects of architecture are also welcome. This journal is strictly peer-reviewed and accepts only original manuscripts submitted in English.