Characterizing the Built Environment of the Intensive Care Unit

Orhan, C., Deemer, D.A., Hercules, W.J., Tronstad, O., Kruser, J.M. American Journal of Resipiratory and Critical Care Medicine DOI: 10.1164/ajrccm.2025.211.Abstracts.A7788

Abstract: Communication with the family members of critically ill patients is a fundamental component of critical care, and prior work aiming to improve this communication has focused on clinicians' skills. In the business sector, studies have shown that the built environment also has an important influence on communication quality. In healthcare and specifically in the intensive care unit (ICU), very little is known about how the built environment influences the quality of family communication. In this study, we sought to identify and characterize the various built environments within and adjacent to ICUs where this communication typically takes place.