Literature review: Evidence-based health outcomes and perceptions of the built environment in pediatric hospital facilities

Problem: The current knowledge of evidence-based design for adults is not always implemented when hospital buildings are designed. Scientific data are sparse on the effects of hospital design in pediatric settings on health outcomes in children, parents, and staff. The objective of this review is to determine the evidence-based impact of the built environment in pediatric hospital facilities on health outcomes in children, parents, and staff. Eligibility criteria: A systematic literature review was carried out on the electronic databases Cochrane Library, Embase, Medline and CINAHL from the period of 2008 to 2019. The review considered studies using either quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methodologies. Sample: Out of 1414 reviewed articles the result is based on eight included articles. Results: Two of these eight articles included health outcomes. The other six articles presented results on measures of perceptions and/or satisfaction for children, parents or staff with the built environment when transitioning to a new or renovated facility. These were generally higher for the new compared to the old facility. Conclusions: Given the small number of studies addressing the question posed in this review, no firm conclusions can be drawn. Implications: The review illustrates the need for more research in the pediatric setting assessing the evidence-based health outcomes of aspects of physical environmental design in pediatric hospitals or units in children, parents and staff