An Introduction to Evidencebased Design Accreditation
and Certification - EDAC
from The Center for Health Design
EVIDENCE-BASED DESIGN
IS THE PROCESS OF BASING
DECISIONS ABOUT THE BUILT
ENVIRONMENT ON CREDIBLE
RESEARCH TO ACHIEVE THE
BEST POSSIBLE OUTCOMES
Evidence-based Design (EBD) History and
Background
EBD Process
Listed in SG1, pg. 27-28
Can design really
affect outcomes?
from The Center for Health Design
Key Differences Between EBD and Typical
Project Delivery
Addresses Healthcare Trends/Challenges
• Develops design strategies targeted at improving clinical, environmental
and safety outcomes.
SG1, pg. 7-22, 29, 76-77
Research is Used
• EBD uses relevant evidence to educate the project team and guide the
development of design strategies. The integration of these strategies is
linked to achieving outcomes.
New Research is Created
• Conducting post-occupancy evaluation research to create new evidence
and report the results.
The Two Bottom Lines for CEOs
1. First Time Capital Costs
2. Operating Costs
The Business Case – Return on Investment
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Source: Zofia Rybkowski, PhD Candidate, UC Berkeley, Engineering and Project Management, Dept. of
Civil and Environmental Engineering.
demonstrate the
importance of
About EDAC & The Exam
from The Center for Health Design
EDAC Mission and Vision
Mission: To develop a community of certified industry professionals through
education and assessment of an evidence-based design process.
Vision: A world where all healthcare environments are created using an
evidence-based design process.
EDAC was created to:
• Provide a definition of EBD and define a standard process for
implementing EBD
• Establish expectations for individuals who are or will be using an EBD
process
• Institutionalize EBD as an accepted and credible approach to improving
healthcare outcomes
Exam Structure
All 110-items on the exam are built using stems, keys, and distracters.
•
Stems: This is the statement or questions to which a candidate responds. This must
be read very carefully to avoid answer choices based on a misread stem.
•
Keys: This is the most appropriate choice of all the possible responses.
•
Distracters: These are the additional three responses available to a candidate. They
do not need to be entirely incorrect to make them the wrong choices. However, they
are NOT the most appropriate choice.
Types of Exam Questions
ANALYSIS
•
•
•
requires candidates to draw
from memorized facts, so the
correct response was
previously learned
does not have correct
answers that vary with the
situation
characteristics: the question
or statement is short with
one variable.
•
•
•
causes candidates to
interpret, classify, translate,
or recognize relationships
has correct answers that vary
based upon the situation
characteristics: questions or
statements have more than
one variable and require
careful reading and
correlation of the answers
with the variables in the
question or statement.
•
•
•
•
requires information synthesis,
problem solving, and selection
of the best response
has correct answers that vary
based upon the situation
candidates act on a problem
and identify clues in the
question or statement
characteristics: the longest
question/statement. Asks
candidates to select the best
answer. Requires careful
reading to establish the
relationship between variables
in the question and the
answer.
Exam Outline
Test questions were developed based upon the exam content outline. The examination
was developed by a group of volunteers with the facilitation and guidance of
psychometricians.
The outline provides:
•
The framework and outline for the three study guides
•
Summary of everything that could possibly be on the exam
•
The exam content outline can be downloaded from www.healthdesign.org/edac
Exam Outline
Five Focus Areas:
•
EBD for Healthcare
•
Research
•
Pre-Design
•
Design
•
Construction & Occupancy
Preparing for the Exam
Read all three study guides to:
•
Gain an overview about the healthcare industry
•
Understand the trends and challenges that impact healthcare construction
•
Learn information about conducting research
•
Contextualize the environment in which evidence-based design is practiced
Other Resources
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Benefits of EDAC Certification
EDAC certification is for anyone interested in formalizing their knowledge of the EBD
process. The credential provides:
•
Public recognition of your EBD expertise
•
Increased value with employers and clients
•
Ability to share a common language with project team members
•
Credibility when justifying expenditures associated with design decisions and
innovations
•
Access to ongoing professional learning tools and newsletters
•
Access to the a community of like-minded individuals
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How EDAC is Different Than Other Credentials
EDAC is complementary to other design industry credentials and provides
added expertise to strengthen an individual’s knowledge. It is for anyone who
is a member of a project team designing a new hospital, ambulatory center, or
renovating an existing building. The EDAC program:
•Focuses on achieving improvement and outcomes in all three areas of safety
(patient, staff and environment)
•Does not have pre-requisites or licensure requirements
•Tests your knowledge of the EBD process, not specific research
•Credential recognized across the U.S. and internationally
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Sample EDAC Exam
Questions
from The Center for Health Design
Sample Question
RECALL: Central to making the business case for physical design innovations,
what will need to be balanced against ongoing operating savings and revenue
enhancements?
a. patient outcomes
b. one-time construction costs
c. longer design and construction timelines
d. project vision and mission
Sample Question - Answer
RECALL: Central to making the business case for physical design innovations,
what will need to be balanced against ongoing operating savings and revenue
enhancements?
a. patient outcomes
b. one-time construction costs
c. longer design and construction timelines
d. project vision and mission
Sample Question
APPLICATION: A project team is designing a brand new children’s hospice.
Before starting the design, the team employed a researcher who conducted a
study in three of the city’s existing hospices using the following tools: surveys;
in-depth interviews; focus groups. Which of the following best describes the
research methodology used?
a. applied research
b. mixed methods
c. quantitative
d. qualitative
Sample Question - Answer
APPLICATION: A project team is designing a brand new children’s hospice.
Before starting the design, the team employed a researcher who conducted a
study in three of the city’s existing hospices using the following tools: surveys;
in-depth interviews; focus groups. Which of the following best describes the
research methodology used?
a. applied research
b. mixed methods
c. quantitative
d. qualitative
Sample Question
ANALYSIS: A summary of EBD research in an architectural magazine indicates
that carpeting is associated with a reduction in patient falls and decreased
workplace injuries; while nursing floor layout is associated with a reduction in
patient falls and increased staff satisfaction. Given a limited budget, what
should the organization do FIRST to determine where to invest its limited
resources?
a.Select the design feature that is most in line with the EBD vision.
b.Check the hospital statistics to see which of the two design features will
result in a greater reduction in operating costs.
c.Choose the design feature that is of most interest to the core design team.
d.Conduct a critical review of the existing research before making any
decisions.
Sample Question - Answer
ANALYSIS: A summary of EBD research in an architectural magazine indicates
that carpeting is associated with a reduction in patient falls and decreased
workplace injuries; while nursing floor layout is associated with a reduction in
patient falls and increased staff satisfaction. Given a limited budget, what
should the organization do FIRST to determine where to invest its limited
resources?
a.Select the design feature that is most in line with the EBD vision.
b.Check the hospital statistics to see which of the two design features will
result in a greater reduction in operating costs.
c.Choose the design feature that is of most interest to the core design team.
d.Conduct a critical review of the existing research before making any
decisions.
Sample Question
ANALYSIS: One of the members of the interdisciplinary project team, an
experienced nurse, brought in a research report from a peer-reviewed journal
that indicated that the efficiency of care provided by the nursing staff is
influenced by the layout of patient rooms. This team member argued that the
bulk of the EBD budget be spent on this design feature. The team MUST:
a.Allocate the bulk of the budget to patient room redesign, based on this
evidence.
b.Validate the research by finding hospitals that have shown an increase in staff
efficiency based upon layout of patient rooms.
c.Find evidence to support a wider range of EBD features before deciding how
the budget should be allocated.
d. Ignore the recommendation because the report lacks rigor.
Sample Question - Answer
ANALYSIS: One of the members of the interdisciplinary project team, an
experienced nurse, brought in a research report from a peer-reviewed journal
that indicated that the efficiency of care provided by the nursing staff is
influenced by the layout of patient rooms. This team member argued that the
bulk of the EBD budget be spent on this design feature. The team MUST:
a.Allocate the bulk of the budget to patient room redesign, based on this
evidence.
b.Validate the research by finding hospitals that have shown an increase in staff
efficiency based upon layout of patient rooms.
c.Find evidence to support a wider range of EBD features before deciding
how the budget should be allocated.
d. Ignore the recommendation because the report lacks rigor.
Sample Question
ANALYSIS: A hospital-based project team wants to make sure that the
observation instrument they developed has a high degree of reliability. They
should:
a) Test it in a variety of settings both within and outside the hospital.
b) Have several researchers use it within a specified timeframe and place with
the same subjects and see if similar results are achieved.
c) Ask an experienced researcher to validate that the instrument is measuring
what it is supposed to measure.
d) Collect opinions on the instrument from within the design team.
Sample Question - Answer
ANALYSIS: A hospital-based project team wants to make sure that the
observation instrument they developed has a high degree of reliability. They
should:
a) Test it in a variety of settings both within and outside the hospital.
b) Have several researchers use it within a specified timeframe and place
with the same subjects and see if similar results are achieved.
c) Ask an experienced researcher to validate that the instrument is measuring
what it is supposed to measure.
d) Collect opinions on the instrument from within the design team.
Sample Question
ANALYSIS: A research study on the impact of nature views on gallbladder
surgery patients showed that nature had the restorative effect that was
hypothesized. The study was conducted in a hospital, and designed so that
patients were randomly assigned to a room with a “view of nature” or “no view
of nature,” and all possible confounding variables were controlled. The study
design was:
a)Experimental
b)Quasi-experimental
c)Correlational
d)Case Study
Sample Question - Answer
ANALYSIS: A research study on the impact of nature views on gallbladder
surgery patients showed that nature had the restorative effect that was
hypothesized. The study was conducted in a hospital, and designed so that
patients were randomly assigned to a room with a “view of nature” or “no view
of nature,” and all possible confounding variables were controlled. The study
design was:
a)Experimental
b)Quasi-experimental
c)Correlational
d)Case Study
Get the EDAC Credential
1. Apply for the exam
2. Download the candidate
handbook
3. Read the study guides
4. Review the exam content
outline
5. Participate in a study session
6. Take the sample exam
Visit www.healthdesign.org/edac
for more information.
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Contact Information
Catherine Ancheta
The Center for Health Design
925.521.9404, ext. 122
cancheta@healthdesign.org
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