About This Project
Mental health facilities rarely support the needs of patients and staff. In response to this problem, our research team will distribute a newly developed survey to Veterans Administration (VA) hospital staff to measure the appropriateness of their facility and to generate design guidelines. The survey addresses 17 topics ranging from normalized environments to access to nature. Upon completion, designers and researchers will be given access to the tool and resulting guidelines.
Ask the Scientists
Join The DiscussionWhat is the context of this research?
Approximately 60% of people with mental health disorders and 90% of those with addiction disorders lack adequate care. New behavioral health (BH) facilities are being designed, but research on BH environments is inadequate to support the design process. Veterans have expressed a need for BH services; 57% of veterans who accessed health services since 2001 presented with behavioral disorders. The research team for this project will evaluate VA BH facilities, and use the results to generate guidelines.
Phase 1 of this project, which is now complete, consisted of a literature review, interviews with experts, and a pilot survey that was distributed to psychiatric clinicians. In Phase 2, we will use the refined survey to evaluate VA BH facilities.
What is the significance of this project?
This research is significant for three reasons. Firstly, the research topic is a critical issue impacting health and wellness that has yet to be thoroughly explored – behavioral health environments. Secondly, the theoretical framework combines health design, architecture and behavioral psychology. Thirdly, the research method generates data of sufficient quality to merit publication in peer-reviewed journals, and at the same times generates tools that architects can use in professional practice.
What are the goals of the project?
In spring of 2017 we will update the literature review, formulate the details of the final research proposal, revise the existing survey, and submit for Institutional Review Board from the Veterans Administration (VA) and Cornell University. During the subsequent summer we will upload the questionnaire onto an online survey site, distribute it to the participants and gather the data. Fall 2017 will be used to meet with our statistical consultants and analyze the data. The following semester (spring 2018) will be used to generate a technical white paper and create a presentation summarizing the results.
Budget
The primary expenditure is support of a graduate student who will work with the faculty PI to obtain IRB approval from the VA and Cornell University, modify and distribute surveys, aid in the statistical analysis and contribute as a co-author to publications.
The salary/time provided by the PI and the co-PIs will be donated.
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Meet the Team
Team Bio
Translational research (research that is designed to be directly implemented in practice) cannot be achieved without collaboration between academics and practitioners. The PIs on this project are from academic institutions and architecture firms and all have worked together on previous behavioral health research projects. All six of the team members have been trained as designers.
Mardelle Shepley
I view research as equal parts art and science. Without that truth my decades-long fascination with the discipline might have dissipated. Study hypotheses are brethren to design goals; in both cases the participant/observer is seeking to demonstrate the relationship between an objective and an outcome.
Because of this interpretation, my research is characterized by its translational content; my colleagues and I generate data that can be applied to built projects. Many of my studies involve rigorous pre- and post-occupancy evaluations, as evaluation research is readily applicable to practice. Broad dissemination is also critical to creating this link. To this end, I have presented at more than 140 conferences and authored/coauthored several books as well as more than 80 peer-reviewed and invited publications.
The second criterion that motivates my research is the satisfaction I receive from addressing social needs, in particular human health and well-being, and environmental sustainability. My forthcoming book, Design for Mental and Behavioral Health (spring, 2017), is a culmination of my desire to use design research to enhance the quality of life. A brief biography follows:
I am a professor in Design and Environmental Analysis and associate director of the Institute for Healthy Futures at Cornell University. I also serve on the graduate faculty in the Department of Architecture. My degrees include a masters in psychology and a doctorate in architecture.
I am a practicing architect and have been honored to be named a fellow in the American Institute of Architects and in the American College of Healthcare Architects. My books include Healthcare Environments for Children and their Families, A Practitioner’s Guide to Evidence-based Design, Design for Critical Care, Health Facility Evaluation for Design Practitioners and Design for Pediatric and Neonatal Critical Care.
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