EDAC study guide
EDAC · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Evidence-Based Design Accreditation and Certification (EDAC) credential is a professional certification for people who want to show that they can apply research findings rigorously to the design of built environments - most commonly in healthcare, but the underlying method travels to any project type where outcomes matter. Candidates typically include architects, interior designers, planners, facility and clinical operations staff, consultants, and researchers who sit on project teams where design decisions are expected to be defensible rather than habitual. The EDAC study guide has 6 sections and about 1,893 words.
01Evidence-Based Design Concepts and the Business Case
Evidence-based design (EBD) is the deliberate use of the best available credible evidence, filtered through professional judgment, to inform design decisions - followed by measurement of the results. It is a process, not a style : two buildings that look nothing alike can both be rigorous EBD projects.
350 words, about 2 min02Defining Goals and Objectives in the EBD Process
The EBD process runs roughly: define goals and objectives → find evidence → critically appraise and interpret → translate into design concepts → implement → measure and evaluate → disseminate. It begins with goals, not solutions .
323 words, about 2 min03Finding, Critically Appraising, and Interpreting Evidence
Start by formulating an answerable question - population, intervention (the design feature), comparison, and outcome. Search using controlled vocabulary and synonyms across appropriate sources: PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus or Web of Science, and Google Scholar for citation chasing, plus grey literature such as the Center for Health Design's Knowledge Repository, the Facilities Guidelines Institute, national academy reports, and government agencies.
311 words, about 2 min04Translating Evidence into Design Concepts and Decisions
Translation converts an evidence statement into a specific, buildable, and testable design response. "Quiet rooms" is not a translation; "unit planning and acoustic assemblies that hold nighttime patient-room sound levels below 45 dBA, verified by measurement after occupancy" is.
304 words, about 2 min05Research Methods, Measurement, and Post-Occupancy Evaluation
Quantitative designs include experimental (randomized), quasi-experimental (pre-post with a comparison unit or interrupted time series), and observational or cross-sectional studies. Qualitative methods - interviews, focus groups, behavioral observation, shadowing, and spatial mapping - explain why and how.
293 words, about 1 min06Stakeholder Collaboration, Implementation, and Dissemination
EBD is collaborative by definition. Stakeholders typically include the owner and executive leadership, clinical staff (nurses, physicians, technicians), facilities and operations, environmental services and infection prevention, patients and family advisors, the community, and the design and construction team.
312 words, about 2 min