ObjectiveThe objective of this was to explore how the physical environment in a hospital contributes to care partner inclusion practices.BackgroundDespite their vital efforts in caring for people living with dementia (PLWD), care partners of PLWD often report feeling not included in their loved ones’ hospitalizations. This phenomenon goes against research, policy initiatives, and hospital design frameworks that underscore the importance of including care partners in hospital care. To ensure that care partners are systematically included in hospital care, health systems must create an environment that prioritizes care partners’ presence.MethodsThis descriptive qualitative design employs a multimethod approach to data collection. Our team conducted direct observations in a large academic hospital and interviewed 23 clinicians/administrators and 15 care partners of PLWD to understand the relationship between hospital environments and care partner inclusion. Observational data were analyzed using a framework analysis, and interview data were analyzed through thematic analysis.ResultsDirect observations revealed an underutilization of environmental resources such as family-centered spaces and environmental communication tools. Interview data revealed that adequate space for care partners, the layout of patient rooms, parking accessibility, room personalization, and comfort level of the hospital space all impact care partner inclusion.ConclusionOur findings highlight opportunities for health systems to create hospital environments that support PLWD and their care partners. In pursuit of systematic care partner inclusion, health systems can make adequate space for care partners, allocate dementia-friendly parking spaces, increase utilization of environmental communication tools, and increase comfort level of the environment.

中文翻译：

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无处可去：护理合作伙伴包容性实践与医院环境之间的关系


目的本次研究的目的是探讨医院的物理环境如何有助于护理伙伴包容性实践。背景尽管他们在护理痴呆症患者 (PLWD) 方面做出了巨大努力，但 PLWD 的护理伙伴经常表示感觉自己没有融入到亲人的生活中。住院治疗。这种现象违背了研究、政策举措和医院设计框架，这些框架强调了将护理合作伙伴纳入医院护理的重要性。为了确保护理伙伴系统地参与医院护理，卫生系统必须创造一个优先考虑护理伙伴存在的环境。方法这种描述性定性设计采用多种方法来收集数据。我们的团队在一家大型学术医院进行了直接观察，并采访了 23 名临床医生/管理人员和 15 名 PLWD 的护理伙伴，以了解医院环境与护理伙伴包容性之间的关系。观察数据采用框架分析，访谈数据采用专题分析。结果直接观察揭示了以家庭为中心的空间和环境交流工具等环境资源的利用不足。访谈数据显示，护理合作伙伴的足够空间、病房布局、停车可达性、房间个性化和医院空间的舒适度都会影响护理合作伙伴的包容性。结论我们的研究结果强调了卫生系统创造支持 PLWD 和他们的护理伙伴。 为了追求系统性的护理伙伴包容性，卫生系统可以为护理伙伴提供足够的空间，分配适合痴呆症的停车位，增加环境通信工具的利用率，并提高环境的舒适度。