Acuity-adaptable rooms

Rooms that provide healthcare that swing from acute care to critical care, thus reducing patient transfers.

Before-after study

A study that measures outcomes by comparing data collected before an intervention with those collected after an intervention is put in place.  By comparing data, researchers can tell whether the intervention is effective in improving outcomes.

Boolean logic

A study using operator words to formulate queries for building search strings.  This form of logic is based on binary logic and can be used to search most full-text search engines as well as subject directories.

Case study

Involves in-depth investigation of one or several cases:  individuals, units, or projects.  In a case study, researchers use mulitle quanititative or qualitative methods.  Multiple methods are used to collect extensive data of one case or several cases.

Chi-square

A statistical test used to determine the liklihood that an observed variation from the anticipated outcome occurs soley by chance.

Clinical outcomes

Observable signs and symptons relating to the patients' health conditions such as morality, morbidity and infection rates.

Confounding Variables

Extraneous variables not under the control of the experimenter that vary systematically fromthe independent variable making it difficult to isolate cause and effect.

Correlational coefficient

Measures the direction and strength of the relationship between two variable.  A positive value indicates positive correlation, and a negative number indicates a negative correlation.  The values are between -1 and +1 and the cloer the correlational coefficient is to -1 or +1, the stronger the correlation.

Correlational study

Two or more characteristics or variables of reserach subjects that are collected and examined to see if the differences in one variable are related to the differences in other variables.

Descriptive statistics

Summarize the numerical data in meaningful ways.  Various descriptive statistics can be used depending on the type of measurement scale.

Economic outcomes

Results of an action(s) pertaining to the finances of a hospital or health system (e.g. the cost of patient care, staff turn over, and philanthropy to the hospital).

Environmental psychology

An interdisciplinary field focused on the interaction between humans and their surroundings.

Environmental variables

The variables involved in the physical environment.  research focuses on one or two environmental variables that are easily quanitifiable such as noise level, room size, patient bed distance and lighting levels.

Ethnographic study

An example of qualitative research; focuses on a group of people who share a common culture.  It gathers in-depth data related to patterns of interpretation and is particularly helpful in understanding a complex working situation.

Experiential knowledge

Knowledge gained through experience as poosed to prior knowledge.

Expert experiential knowledge

Experiential knowledge held by stakeholder groups involved in the project due to their professional qualifications.

Federated search technology

The simultaneous search of multiple online databases; an emerging feature and is often referred to as a portal instead of web-based search.

Healing environment

Nurturing, therapeutic, and stress-free environments that promote wellness.

Hierarchical databases

A database structured in hierarchy format.  All data starts at the top of the hierarchy and moves its way down.

Hypothesis

A tentative assumption made in order to draw out and test its logical or empirical conclusions.

Infection rates

The rate or chance at which patients acquire infections while in a healthcare facility that are caused by the facility or people in the facility.

Inferential statistics

Statistics that go beyond descriptive statistics and extend the conclusion to more general conditions and can be used to determine whether the differences or correlations found in a study represent true differences between groups or whether they happened by chance.

Informatics

Gathering and managing information through the use of computer science and statistical methods.

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

A group that approves studies proposed by investigators involving human subjects.

All clinical trials, by law, must be approved by the IRB prior to enrolling participants.

Interdisciplinary approach

Approach involving two or more disciplines; can maximize the outcome associated with the implementation of the EBD process by providing expertise into as many areas of a project as possible.

Interdisciplinary research team

Team composed of people representing two or more disciples created in order to provide expertise into as many areas of a project as possible and therefore, maximizing outcomes associated with the implementation of the EBD process.

Journal publication

Periodical or individual articles within a publication dealing with matters of current interest or research.

Just-in-time study

Quick research done to inform decision making critical to time-sensitive healthcare building projects with a set deadline.

Likert scale

A research tool, a list of statements (i.e. items) to which respondents indicate their extent of agreement or disagreement on several ordered levels (i.e. points).

Literature review

A comprehensive survey of available information related to a particular line of research.

Scales that classify data into mutually exclusive categories and arbitrarily assign a number to represent each catergory.  The number does not indicate any quantity or value.

Suggests that the differences and relationships found in the date are due to chance alone.

The application and combination of several search methodologies in a study of the same topic.

t-test:  Shows if a real difference occurs among treatments in controlled clinical trials.