Helianthe S M Kort

Utrecht University of Applied Sciences / Eindhoven University of Technology · Healthcare / Built Environment

Several studies found that classrooms' indoor environmental quality (IEQ) can positively influence in‐class activities. Understanding and quantifying the combined effect of four indoor environmental parameters, namely indoor air quality and thermal, acoustic, and lighting conditions on people is essential to create an optimal IEQ. Accordingly, a sy...

BACKGROUND: The care sector for persons with disabilities considers the physical environment relevant for the quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities. However, scientific evidence is limited. OBJECTIVE: To obtain evidence regarding comforting and encouraging environments and to develop an overview of studies addressing the effect o...

Humidification is not a common procedure in many buildings in the Netherlands. An exception are buildings used for healthcare, especially hospitals. There, e.g. in operating theatres, relative humidity (RH) generally is controlled stringently at levels around 50%. From an energy point-of-view humidification is an energy-intensive activity. Currentl...

The need for care will increase in the coming years. Most people with a disability or old age receive support from an informal caregiver. Caring for a person with dementia can be difficult because of the BPSD (Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia). BPSD, including sleep disturbance, is an important factor for a higher care load. In thi...

Nightshift work can negatively impact sleep, performance, and health. Careful manipulation of light exposure patterns can help reduce these negative effects but is challenging in conditions of rapidly rotating shiftwork and due to individual differences. As chronotype is related to shiftwork tolerance, we explored patterns of sleep, sleepiness, and...

The discovery of the ipRGCs was thought to fully explain the mechanism behind the relationship between light and effects beyond vision such as alertness. However, this relationship turned out to be more complicated. The current paper describes, by using personal lighting conditions in a field study, further exploration of the relationship between l...

By 2050, 70% of the population will live in cities. The majority of the persons living in cities will be 60 plus years old. Ageing cities demands for cities environments to adapt to an ageing population. Modern cities though, don’t anticipate fast enough and in an adequate manner to face the challenges due to population-related transitions. Modifyi...

Light enables us to see and perceive our environment but it also initiates effects beyond vision, such as alertness. Literature describes that at least six factors are relevant for initiating effects beyond vision. The exact relationship between these factors and alertness is not yet fully understood. In the current field study, personal lighting c...

The main reason lighting control is being applied is to reduce energy consumption. However, there are many more reasons for lighting control to be optimised in buildings. Lighting systems can be controlled to enhance or optimise effects beyond vision. Automatic control of electric lighting systems or daylight systems is one way of adjusting someone...

Background The strain on health care services is increasing due to an ageing population and the increasing prevalence of chronic health conditions. eHealth could contribute to optimise effective and efficient care to older adults with one or more chronic health conditions in the general practice. Aim The aim of this study was to identify the needs...

The widespread use of telehealth, providing healthcare remotely, is hampered by various barriers. Dutch nurses currently working in practice never received education in this new way of healthcare delivery. Education is frequently suggested as a strategy to overcome barriers in telehealth use. However, the nature and effectiveness of such education...

Purpose Board members and real estate managers (decision makers) play an important role in the decision-making process in nursing home organisations. This study aims to provide an understanding of underlying attributes and benefits sought by decision makers when making nursing home real estate decisions. Design/methodology/approach Decision makers...

This study reports the outcomes of a systematic literature review, which aims to determine the influence of four indoor environmental parameters -indoor air, thermal, acoustic, and lighting conditions - on the quality of teaching and learning and on students' academic achievement in schools for higher education, defined as education at a college or...

Nightshift workers go against the natural sleep–wake rhythm. Light can shift the circadian clock but can also induce acute alertness. This placebo-controlled exploratory field study examined the effectiveness of light glasses to improve alertness while reducing the sleep complaints of hospital nurses working nightshifts. In a crossover within-subje...

The use of cleanrooms is increasing and the expectation is that this growth will continue in the coming decade. When compared to an average office building, cleanrooms consume large amounts of energy due to their high Air Change Rates (ACRs) and strict air conditioning requirements. Application of Demand Controlled Filtration (DCF) is a means to re...

Background: Light and alertness studies have applied different measurement methodologies to determine lighting conditions. However, it has been demonstrated that researchers rarely measure or describe the lighting conditions of their studies in sufficient detail to generalize conclusions or derive universal guidelines. Objective: Part I of this...

In cleanrooms, high ventilation rates are being used. This is in line with the available guidelines [1]. Normally the required air flows are applied 24/7 so the environmental cleanliness is not compromised. This therefore is an energy-intensive activity. As production is of higher economic importance than energy savings, cleanroom operators have pu...

This paper reports on the research methods used in five different projects aimed at supporting people living with dementia in their everyday lives and activities of daily living. In all five projects, people living with dementia and their informal carers were involved. Applied methods ranged from passive involvement in the form of observations to v...

The high Air Change Rates (ACRs) required for cleanrooms makes them energy intensive. This research elaborates on three strategies for energy efficient ventilation in pharmaceutical cleanrooms: Fine-tuning, Demand Controlled Filtration (DCF), and optimizing airflow pattern. To study the possibilities for fine-tuning and DCF, two case studies were i...

Dynamic lighting is one of the new trends in lighting research; providing the right lighting level at the right time could possibly increase the alertness and performance of office workers. However, they might have preferences that deviate from this “healthy” lighting. Simultaneously, the building environment becomes increasingly automated, with oc...

In in-patient care facilities, 1 in 5 medication doses is administered incorrectly. A hospital environment which supports the performance of the health-care staff will positively impact patient safety. Objectives Determine which lighting leads to the least reading mistakes of medication labels. Design Experimental study with repeated measures. S...

Thermal comfort in operating theatres is a less addressed research component of the indoor environment in operating theatres. The air quality naturally gets most attention when considering the risk of surgical site infections. However, the importance of thermal comfort must not be underestimated. In this research, the current thermal comfort situat...

The use of the Zora robot was monitored and evaluated in 14 nursing care organizations (15 locations). The Zora robot, a Não robot with software, is designed as a social robot and used for pleasure and entertainment or to stimulate the physical activities of clients in residential care. In the first year, the aim was to monitor and evaluate how the...

Highly granular lighting control involves switching on and off luminaires based on individual occupancy. The resulting high frequency of lighting changes can distract the office workers and negatively impact their work performance. In a cubicle office, this might be less of an issue than in an office without partitions, as users do not have an over...

Research demonstrated a large variety regarding effects of light (e.g. health, performance, or comfort effects). Since human health is related to each individual separately, the lighting conditions around these individuals should be analysed individually as well. This paper provides, based on a literature study, an overview identifying the currentl...

Background: The diffusion of telehealth into hospital care is still low, partially because of a lack of telehealth competence among nurses. In an earlier study, we reported on the knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) nurses require for the use of telehealth. The current study describes hospital nurses' confidence in possessing these telehealth...

A poster presentation about care robot Zora in Dutch nursing homes, part of a bigger study. The objectives of the study was to examine whether Zora is incorporated in daily practice for entertainment in group sessions. To examine for which target group Zora is used and whether clients accepted a technology like Zora and what effect Zora has on thes...

To understand how transition across different thermal zones in a building impacts the thermal perception of occupants, the current work examines occupant feedback in two work environments — nursing staff in hospital wards and the workers in an office. Both studies used a mix of subjective surveys and objective measurements. A total of 96 responses...

Long-term care facilities in the Netherlands try to implement new design approaches to enrich their environments and to cope with the changes and innovations in the Dutch healthcare sector. An enriched environment supports both quality of life of people with frail health and the well-being of the healthcare professionals who take care of them. Desp...

The current field study investigated the ambiguities regarding the relationship between office lighting and subjective alertness. In laboratory studies, light-induced effects were demonstrated. Field studies are essential to prove the validity of these results and the potential recommendations for lighting in future buildings. Therefore, lighting m...

Highly granular lighting control reduces the energy consumption of shared office spaces by automatically controlling lighting at unoccupied desks. Typically, lighting is switched off, but this approach results in non-uniform illuminance distributions. In offices where individual work areas are often not separated by partitions and occupants oversee...

In indoor comfort research, thermal comfort of care-professionals in hospital environment is a little explored topic. To address this gap, a mixed methods study, with the nursing staff in hospital wards acting as participants, was undertaken. Responses were collected during three weeks in the summer (n = 89), and four weeks in the autumn (n = 43)....

Background: The Dutch Ministry of Health has formulated ambitious goals concerning the use of telehealth, leading to subsequent changes compared with the current health care situation, in which 93% of care is delivered face-to-face. Since most care is delivered to older people, the prospect of telehealth raises the question of whether this populat...

Not much is known about the favourable indoor air quality in long term care facilities (ltcf's), where older adults suffering from dementia live. Older adults, especially those who suffer from dementia, are more sensible to the indoor environment. However, no special requirements for the indoor air in long term care facilities exist. Due to the dec...

Health symptoms may be influenced, supported, or even controlled via a lighting control system which includes personal lighting conditions and personal factors (health characteristics). In order to be effective, this lighting control system requires both continuous information on the lighting and health conditions at the individual level. A new pra...

Indoor to outdoor transitions have an undeniable impact on thermal perception of occupants and can impact their evaluation of a building. These aspects are often overlooked in thermal comfort standards. We address this gap using a mixed methods study, with students in undergraduate level classrooms acting as the participants. We try to identify the...

Background: Today's nursing school applicants are considered "digital natives." This study investigated students' views of new health care technologies. Method: In a cross-sectional survey among first-year nursing students, 23 common nursing activities and five telehealth nursing activities were presented along with three statements: "I consider...

The common ocular pathologies relating to the aging eye, such as cataract, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, or macular degeneration, are all known to reduce visual functioning. Less wellknown is the effect of common, age-related dry eye disease (DED). The impact of DED on daily activities can be intense, especially with reduced visual functioning, f...

Purpose The International Commission on Illumination (CIE) recommends researchers to investigate a wide variety of behavioural and health outcomes. However, researchers often investigate only a part of occupational health (OH) in relation to light. A literature study (2002–2017) regarding the relationship between office lighting conditions and OH w...

This work examined window/door opening as means of bedroom ventilation and the consequent effect upon occupants’ sleep, using data from 17 healthy volunteers. Bedroom CO2 level, temperature, and relative humidity were measured over 5 days, for two cases: open window or door (internal, bedroom door), and closed window and door. Participant filled qu...

Light beneficially influences human health directly, but moreover, indirectly via occupant's satisfaction with lighting. This study identified parameters influencing occupant's satisfaction with lighting. During a five-day study, 46 office workers evaluated their office lighting conditions once a day using the Office Lighting Survey. The significan...

Background: If eHealth interventions are not used (properly), their potential benefits cannot be fulfilled. User perceptions of eHealth are an important determinant of its successful implementation. This study examined how patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and their physiotherapists (PHTs) value an eHealth self-management...

Indoor to outdoor transitions, and the subsequent occupant adaptation, impact thermal perception of occupants and their evaluation of a building. A mixed methods thermal comfort study in a classroom of Eindhoven University of Technology was conducted to provide a better understanding of thermal perception of students as they move into and adapt to...

A NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) ward caters to critical situations. Health and wellbeing of premature infants are positively impacted through attention to the indoor thermal conditions. At the same, the caregivers (hospital personnel and parents) have different thermal comfort requirements. This research addresses these contradictory thermal...

A substantial amount of studies have addressed the influence of sound on human performance. In many of these, however, the large acoustic differences between experimental conditions prevent a direct translation of the results to realistic effects of room acoustic interventions. This review identifies those studies which can be, in principle, transl...

The benefits of light in offices beyond enabling visual tasks have been demonstrated in former studies. Light positively influences outcome measures such as human's health, wellbeing, visual comfort, motivation, and environmental satisfaction. In order to measure the effects of light on the individual outcome measures, it is of high importance to c...

Lighting accounts for a significant amount of electrical energy consumption in office buildings, up to 45% of the total consumed. This energy consumption can be reduced by as much as 60% through an occupant-dependent lighting control strategy. With particular focus on open-plan offices, where the application of this strategy is more challenging to...

The use of the Zora robot was monitored and evaluated in 14 nursing care organizations (15 locations). The Zora robot, a Não robot with software, is designed as a social robot and used for pleasure and entertainment or to stimulate the physical activities of clients in residential care. In the first year, the aim was to monitor and evaluate how the...

Controlling lighting conditions at desk level has proven its energy savings potential. However , in open-plan offices without partitions separating desks this local control might come at expense of users' comfort. An explorative study in an office building in the Netherlands revealed the influence of local control on users' satisfaction with the li...

(Day)light in office buildings has already been proven to be a beneficial contributor to health. However, people’s perception of the physical light environment deviates significantly from objective measurements. Large differences between user’s perception and objective light parameters, such as illuminance level or daylight contribution, could lead...

Lighting tends to form a large part of the energy consumption in office buildings, which can be influenced by the use of sensors. Several sensor technologies have been developed throughout the years, like for example passive infrared systems. These are however limited in providing an understanding of occupants' behaviour as they often only measure...