Review Article
Environmental Design Strategies to Enhance Infection Prevention and Control in Hospice Facilities: A Scoping Literature Review
Sharmin Kader*
Issue:
Volume 15, Issue 5, October 2026
Pages:
168-186
Received:
24 August 2026
Accepted:
7 September 2026
Published:
15 September 2026
DOI:
10.11648/j.ajap.20261505.11
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Abstract: Infection prevention and control (IPC) is a critical component of healthcare delivery, particularly for vulnerable populations at increased risk of healthcare-associated infections. Hospice patients may receive care in dedicated hospice facilities, long-term care facilities, or other healthcare environments, where infection prevention must coexist with broader therapeutic goals, including comfort, privacy, family involvement, and a home-like atmosphere. Although environmental design has been widely investigated in relation to IPC in healthcare settings, much of the existing evidence focuses on hospitals, with comparatively limited attention to hospice and long-term care environments. This study aimed to identify environmental design strategies that may enhance IPC in hospice facilities and examine their applicability within a hospice-specific therapeutic framework. A scoping literature review was conducted using PubMed and CINAHL for English-language studies published between 2015 and 2025. Following three rounds of screening, 30 studies were included. Data were extracted using standardized matrices documenting study characteristics, environmental and behavioral variables, outcomes, and key findings. Environmental findings were coded, compared, and analyzed using the environmental therapeutic goals and design criteria of the Hospice Environmental Assessment Protocol (HEAP) as an analytical framework. Three overarching themes and 14 subthemes emerged: ventilation and airborne infection control, including ventilation, filtration, airflow, and supplemental air disinfection; spatial planning, zoning, and circulation, including separation, shared spaces, circulation, access control, and room configuration; and environmental hygiene, surfaces, and cleaning, including high-touch surfaces, antimicrobial materials, environmental cleaning, disinfection technologies, and hand-hygiene-supportive design. The findings demonstrate that IPC in hospice environments extends beyond clinical safety and intersects with multiple therapeutic goals, including privacy, social interaction, autonomy, family accommodation, and staff support. Integrating IPC evidence with HEAP provides a framework for designing hospice environments that support infection prevention while preserving their therapeutic, residential, and family-centered qualities.
Abstract: Infection prevention and control (IPC) is a critical component of healthcare delivery, particularly for vulnerable populations at increased risk of healthcare-associated infections. Hospice patients may receive care in dedicated hospice facilities, long-term care facilities, or other healthcare environments, where infection prevention must coexist ...
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