Cornally, NCagney, OBurton, ACoffey, ADalton, CHartigan, IHarrison, JMurphy, MNuzum, DPennisi, YSavage, ESweeney, CTimmons, SLeahy Warren, PFitzGerald, S2019-03-282019-03-282019-03Cornally, N., Cagney, O., Burton, A., Coffey, A., Dalton, C., Hartigan, I., Harrison, J., Murphy, M. Nuzum, D., Pennisi, Y., Savage, E., Sweeney, C., Timmons, S., Leahy Warren, P., & FitzGerald, S. (2019). Evaluation of the Irish Hospice Foundation Design & Dignity Programme. University College Cork, Cork.http://hdl.handle.net/10147/624149The Design & Dignity Programme, in partnership with the Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) and Health Service Executive (HSE), was launched in 2010 to create a model or ‘exemplar’ projects within acute hospital facilities. Through the use of the Design & Dignity guidelines this programme has provided support and funding for over 40 projects throughout Ireland. Hospital spaces have been redesigned in areas such as family rooms, mortuaries, viewing rooms and bereavement suites. This programme has ensured that hospitals offer quiet and peaceful places for family members and friends to avail of when someone close to them is dying. Empirical research has repeatedly highlighted the impact of evidence-based design in end-of-life acute care settings. Key factors associated with improved outcomes include the use of efficient space allocation, providing user friendly spaces and ensuring privacy for patients and their families. Homely environments, where personalisation and social interaction can occur is of key importance as well as having contact with nature, low noise levels and the option to avail of either single or mixed occupancy rooms. The aim was to independently evaluate the Design & Dignity programme with a focus on establishing impact of Design & Dignity projects on patients, their families and acute hospital staff. The evaluation utilised a post occupancy framework which incorporated indicative and investigative data collection methods. To achieve this 18 site visits were conducted and data was collected on; physical dimensions (meters), light (lux) and noise (decibels), IHF audit tools and qualitative field notes. This report presents an evaluation of the impact of the first two rounds of Design & Dignity funded projects. These projects involved the development of nine family rooms, five mortuaries, an emergency department bereavement suite and three rooms to support families in maternity services. An in-depth evaluation was also undertaken in five key hospital sites; Roscommon Hospital, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital Dublin, Beaumont Hospital Dublin, St. James’s Hospital Dublin and St. Luke’s Hospital Kilkenny. These case studies were informed by focus groups with staff (n=18), patient/relative interviews (n=4) and realtime comment cards. This was in addition to site visits and analysis of facility documents.enAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United Stateshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/DEATH AND DYINGEND OF LIFE CAREHOSPICEDIGNITYReport