Doctoral candidate receives Academy of Architecture for Health Fellowship


LAWRENCE — The American Institute of Architects’ Academy of Architecture for Healthcare has awarded a fellowship to a University of Kansas architecture student who will study how the design of intensive care units can influence patient safety and treatment outcomes.

Department of Architecture doctoral candidate Faria T. Islam will use the Arthur N. Tuttle Jr. Graduate Fellowship in Health Facility Planning and Design to examine factors such as ease of physical and visual access, room configuration and the number of patient rooms. External factors will also be considered, including the care model, hospital type, and how characteristics of the nursing staff like age, position in the unit and work hours can influence an ICU’s physical environment.

Empirical studies have shown that poor design of health care workplaces can negatively affect staff, may reduce functional efficiency, and lead to medical errors and waste. 

“This research will provide an improved understanding of how ICU design affects staff perception that vary in layout, specialty and organizational context,” she said. “It will open dialogue between clinical and design professionals leading to better ICU design in the future.”

Islam is studying health care architecture in the Department of Architecture’s Health and Wellness Program and minoring in statistics. She was also the recipient of 2014 Summer Research Fellowship from the KU Office of Graduate Studies. She holds an Evidence-Based Design Accreditation and Certification (EDAC) from the Center for Health Design.

She earned her master’s degree in architecture and health design at University of Illinois at Chicago. While studying there she received the Jogindar Paul Mahajan Scholarship. She earned her bachelor's degree in architecture degree from BRAC University in Bangladesh and was on its dean’s and vice chancellor’s list.

Fri, 08/22/2014

author

Charles Linn

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Charles Linn

School of Architecture & Design

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