Together with our project partners ART+COM and GRAFT Architects we developed a new intensive care room concept to reduce patients' anxiety, helplessness, and stress. The patient's perceptions and needs were the starting point of this project. In 2013 we finished the renovation of 2 double ICU rooms. We hypothesised that the delirium incidence for patients treated in the modified rooms is significantly lower when compared to patients treated in the standard rooms.
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Systematic Review: Exposing ICU Patients to Light & Darkness /
Sleep-wake patterns are often significantly disturbed in critically ill patients. This disturbance is closely linked to secondary brain dysfunctions in these patients. In other contexts, light therapy has been proven to be effective in maintaining and resynchronizing circadian rhythmicity in humans. The objective of this systematic review was to analyze studies that investigated the effect of exposure to light or darkness on physiological measures and clinical outcomes of adult ICU patients.
Read MoreThe Light that Makes the Difference /
Our working group has just evaluated photometric parameters of three different electric light sources in the ICU, including the newly developed, 15 square meters large LED light-ceiling. Furthermore, we aimed at estimating potential circadian efficacy and side effects of the investigated light sources for exposed ICU patients.
Read MoreEvaluation of Delirium Assessment Tools for Critically Ill Children /
We evaluated test validity and reliability of the Pediatric Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (pCAM-ICU), the Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium (PAED) scale, and our newly created pCAM-ICU severity scale (sspCAM-ICU) for the detection of delirium in PICU patients. We used daily repeated assessments in the same patient to mimic the use of scores in clinical routine.