Health Care Research Collaborative
Overview
- List of Reports
- CleanMed 2013 Presentations
- CleanMed 2012 Presentations
- CleanMed 2011 Presentations
About the Research Collaborative
The Health Care Research Collaborative was developed to meet a need expressed by hospital and health system executives for more research and data to assist them in their efforts to make more sustainable choices in health care design, construction, operations and organization. To fund this initiative, HCWH applied for and received seed funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Health Care Research Collaborative is based at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, with a mission to stimulate the development, coordination and dissemination of research focused on the impact of the health care built environment, operations and organization on patient, worker and environmental safety and sustainability. This interdisciplinary approach reflects the growing understanding among the leadership of health care providers that patient, provider, and community health and safety are profoundly interrelated.
In discussions with representatives of health systems, academic institutions and government agencies, several overarching principles were highlighted as priority criteria in developing research projects, and these continue to steer our agenda:
- Incorporation of patient, worker, and environmental safety
- Production of evidence to provide a decision-making base for operations and construction of facilities
- Evaluation of the costs and benefits of proposed changes in new policies and practices, including initial capital investment, institutional life-cycle costs, and community impacts.
The Research Collaborative has published a series of white papers that explore existing research and identify research gaps in a number of areas of health care safety and sustainability (downloadable below). We also develop original research projects. The Collaborative works closely with the Healthier Hospitals Initiative, a group of hospitals that are leading the way on sustainability, and with Practice Greenhealth, a membership and networking organization for hospitals engaged in sustainable health care.
We welcome inquiries:
Peter Orris, MD, MPH, Chair
312-413-0369
Susan Kaplan, JD, Research Director
312-355-0738
All Research Collaborative reports and presentations can also be found in our searchable library. Keyword: research collaborative
List of Research Collaborative Reports
- Scientific Evidence of Health Effects from Coal Use in Energy Generation
Authors: Erica Burt, MPH, Peter Orris, MD, MPH, and Susan Buchanan, MD, MPH.
April 2013. 18 pages - Can Sustainable Hospitals Help Bend the Health Care Cost Curve?
Authors: Susan Kaplan,Kevin Little, Calvin Franz, and Peter Orris.
November 2, 2012. 14 pages - Mercury in Dental Amalgam and Resin-Based Alternatives: A Comparative Health Risk Evaluation
Authors: Serap Erdal, Ph.D. in collab. with Peter Orris, M.D., M.P.H.
June 13, 2012. 68 pages. - Creating a Culture of Sustainability: Leadership, Coordination and Performance Measurement Decisions in Healthcare
Author: Tonya Boone, Ph.D.
April 2012. 32 pages. - Green Cleaning in Healthcare
Authors: Xiaobo Quan, Anjali Joseph, Matthew Jelen, and the Center for Health Design
September 2011. 56 pages. - Highlights from Sustainable Resilient Flooring Report
Authors: Jennifer Dubose and Amaya Labrador
December 2010. 4 pages. - Sustainable Resilient Flooring Choices for Hospitals
Authors: Jennifer DuBose and Amaya Labrador
December 2010. 56 pages. - Minding the Gap: Research Priorities to Address Pharmaceuticals in the Environment
Authors: Julie Becker, Ph.D., MPH
February 2010. 28 pages. - Displacement Ventilation Research: Phase II Summary Report
Authors: Arash Guity, PE, Bob Gulick, PE, Paul Marmion, PEng
December 2009. 30 pages. - A Research Agenda for Advancing Patient, Worker and Environmental Health and Safety in the Health Care Sector
Authors: Susan Kaplan, JD, Peter Orris, MD, MPH, Rachel Machi
October 2009. 36 pages. - The Accuracy of Alternatives to Mercury Sphygmomanometers
Author: Susan Buchanan, MD, MPH
October 2009. 22 pages. - Resilient Flooring and Chemical Hazards: A Comparative Analysis of Vinyl and Other Alternatives for Health Care
Authors: Tom Lent, Julie Silas, and Jim Vallette
April 2009. 56 pages. - Cleaning in Healthcare Facilities: Reducing Human Health Effects and Environmental Impacts
Authors: Pia Markkanen, ScD, Margaret Quinn ScD, CIH, Catherine Galligan, MSc, Anila Bello, ScD
April 2009. 40 pages.
CleanMed 2013 Presentations
These are presentions from the Third Annual Research Exchange on April 24, 2013, at the 2013 CleanMed Conference held in Boston, MA, as well as the agenda from the 2013 CleanMed Research Collaborative Meeting. The focus of this exchange was on Advancing Patient, Worker and Environmental Safety in the Health Care Sector through Green Cleaning.
- HCRC Research Exchange Overview and Introduction
Author: Susan Kaplan - Design for the Environment (DfE) Label - Safer Chemical Ingredients
Author: Bidget Williams - Health Effects of Cleaning on Nurses and Cleaning Staff
Author: George L. Delclos, MD, MPH, PhD - Protecting Workers Who Use Cleaning Chemicals
Author: Kathleen Fagan, MD, MPH - Assessment of Chemical Exposures During Cleaning
Author: Margaret Quinn, ScD - Current Research Needs in Green Cleaning
Author: Philip Carling, MD, FSHEA - Training and Empowerment Approaches to Building Skills and Career Tracks
Author: Scott Goodell
CleanMed 2012 Presentations
These are presentations from the Second Annual Research Exchange on May 3, 2012 at the 2012 CleanMed Conference held in Denver, Colorado, as well as the agenda from the 2012 CleanMed Research Collaborative Meeting.
- HCRC Research Exchange Agenda
Author: Health Care Research Collaborative - Creating an Agenda for Change: A Delphi Survey
Author: Kelli Barber, R.N., M.N.; Betty Bekemeier, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.N.; Wade Garrison Hill, Ph.D., APRN-BC - Benchmarking Lessons: How Can Sustainability Measurement Tools from Other Industries be Applied to Health Care?
Author: Julie Becker, Ph.D., M.P.H.; Haley Singer, M.P.H.; Joan Duckenfield, M.P.H. - Green Cleaning in Health Care: Innovation, Implementation, and Evaluation
Author: Xiaobo Quan, Ph.D., E.D.A.C. - Life Cycle Analysis of Delivering an Infant in the United States
Author: Noe Woods, M.D.; Melissa Bilec, Ph.D., LEED AP
CleanMed 2011 Presentations
These are presentations from the April 6 Research Exchange at the 2011 CleanMed Conference held in Phoenix, Arizona, as well as the agenda from the 2011 CleanMed Research Collaborative Meeting.
- HCRC Research Exchange Agenda
Author: Health Care Research Collaborative - Organizing for Sustainability
Author: Tonya Boone, MBA, PhD - Measuring the Sustainability of Health Care Buildings
Author: Jennifer Dubose, LEED AP, EDAC - Worker Safety, Patient Safety, Environmental Safety: A Vital Synergy
Author: Kathy Fagan, MD, MPH - Promoting Human Health and Sustainability With Microbial Genomics
Author: Jessica Green et al. - Antibacterial Soaps: Are They Necessary
Author: Sarah Janssen, MD, PhD, MPH - Making the Connection: Linking Building Design to Healthcare Outcomes
Author: Anjali Joseph, PhD, EDAC - How Sustainable Hospitals Can Help Bend the Cost Curve
Author: Susan Kaplan, JD - Teaching Sustainability as Part of Healthcare Management Studies
Author: Carrie Rich, MS, EDAC