Academy of Architecture for Health

 Water features situated within a healthcare environment can provide visual appeal, a soothing environment, a feeling of nature and creates a white noise.
Some healthcare professionals are concerned about bacteria forming in the water and the potential negative impact on immuno-supressed patients and those with other diseases such as respiratory infections.
Searching for documentation on any adverse affects?

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Walter Armstrong
Senior Architect/Facility Planner
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, Maryland
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Here are a few sources that I know of. Hope they might be able to help a bit.

• The 2008 Review of Research Literature on EBD in Healthcare Design also talks about ways to reduce transmission and increase safety of water supply systems. See roughly page 15 http://www.healthdesign.org/~hcleader/HCLeader_5_LitReviewWP.pdf

• "A cluster of cases of nosocomial legionnaires disease linked to a contaminated hospital decorative water fountain." 2009. By: Palmore and colleagues.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19580436?log$=activity

• "Outbreak of Legionnaire's disease linked to a decorative fountain by molecular epidemiology." 1993. By Hlady and colleagues. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8237978

• This is a non-academic reference that was in the news last year.  http://www.hcpro.com/SAF-250253-874/Tip-of-the-week-Put-water-fountains-on-your-Legionella-radar-and-use-our-free-checklist.html

Best of luck,
Erin

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Erin Peavey, LEED AP
Editorial Assistant
HERD Journal
Texas A&M University
Center for Health Systems & Design
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-02-2011 11:09
From: Walter Armstrong
Subject: Design use of water features within a hospital environment


 Water features situated within a healthcare environment can provide visual appeal, a soothing environment, a feeling of nature and creates a white noise.
Some healthcare professionals are concerned about bacteria forming in the water and the potential negative impact on immuno-supressed patients and those with other diseases such as respiratory infections.
Searching for documentation on any adverse affects?

-------------------------------------------
Walter Armstrong
Senior Architect/Facility Planner
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, Maryland
-------------------------------------------

Aah, the ole "soothing environment and feeling of nature".....what a waste of money in cost to construct a legionnaires disease-proof system and then the ongoing effort by the Owner/user to maintain it........in a health care environment.  For such irrelevant, subjective benefit to the indoor environment, why would one bother??

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Patrick Timpe AIA

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Original Message:
Sent: 03-03-2011 01:41
From: Erin Peavey
Subject: Design use of water features within a hospital environment

Here are a few sources that I know of. Hope they might be able to help a bit.

• The 2008 Review of Research Literature on EBD in Healthcare Design also talks about ways to reduce transmission and increase safety of water supply systems. See roughly page 15 http://www.healthdesign.org/~hcleader/HCLeader_5_LitReviewWP.pdf

• "A cluster of cases of nosocomial legionnaires disease linked to a contaminated hospital decorative water fountain." 2009. By: Palmore and colleagues.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19580436?log$=activity

• "Outbreak of Legionnaire's disease linked to a decorative fountain by molecular epidemiology." 1993. By Hlady and colleagues. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8237978

• This is a non-academic reference that was in the news last year.  http://www.hcpro.com/SAF-250253-874/Tip-of-the-week-Put-water-fountains-on-your-Legionella-radar-and-use-our-free-checklist.html

Best of luck,
Erin

-------------------------------------------
Erin Peavey, LEED AP
Editorial Assistant
HERD Journal
Texas A&M University
Center for Health Systems & Design
-------------------------------------------





Original Message:
Sent: 03-02-2011 11:09
From: Walter Armstrong
Subject: Design use of water features within a hospital environment


 Water features situated within a healthcare environment can provide visual appeal, a soothing environment, a feeling of nature and creates a white noise.
Some healthcare professionals are concerned about bacteria forming in the water and the potential negative impact on immuno-supressed patients and those with other diseases such as respiratory infections.
Searching for documentation on any adverse affects?

-------------------------------------------
Walter Armstrong
Senior Architect/Facility Planner
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, Maryland
-------------------------------------------

I am not aware of any specific research data, but APIC has a 2003 CDC/HICPAC report on their website that discusses waterborne disesases, especially Legionellae introduced to the respiratory tract.  It does not use "water feature," but does discuss aerosolizing and "man made aquatic environments" as unfavorable conditions in a healthcare environment. 

Attached is the CDC report from the APIC website.  Under the "Facilities" section, see paragraph D. Water.


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Jeffrey O'Neill AIA ACHA
Senior Project Manager
University of Pennsylvania Health System
Philadelphia PA
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-02-2011 11:09
From: Walter Armstrong
Subject: Design use of water features within a hospital environment


 Water features situated within a healthcare environment can provide visual appeal, a soothing environment, a feeling of nature and creates a white noise.
Some healthcare professionals are concerned about bacteria forming in the water and the potential negative impact on immuno-supressed patients and those with other diseases such as respiratory infections.
Searching for documentation on any adverse affects?

-------------------------------------------
Walter Armstrong
Senior Architect/Facility Planner
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, Maryland
-------------------------------------------