AHRQ-Funded Supplement Explores Links Between Health Facility Design and HAI Prevention

A new supplement to the Health Environments Research & Design (HERD) Journal includes articles that focus on the role of the built environment on preventing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Articles in the open-access supplement are based on findings from an AHRQ-funded research project conducted by a multidisciplinary team of clinicians and design experts from RTI International in Research Triangle Park, NC; Emory University and Georgia Tech in Atlanta, and AHRQ. The articles include a commentary by former AHRQ Director Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D., a literature review, an industry scan that includes feedback from experts in the field, and a conceptual framework that illustrates the links between design elements and HAI prevention.