A growing body of evidence demonstrates that the way the environment is designed can positively affect patient outcomes and quality of care delivery in healthcare facilities, but evidence from treatment facilities, specifically, is lacking. Environmental attributes of these types of facilities have been studied under the umbrella of behavioral and mental health. However, due to the wide variety of treatment delivered in such facilities, drawing conclusions regarding specific design guidelines for each patient group is impossible. Existing guidelines emphasize minimizing risks to patient safety and improving security, but often ignore how design may improve substance abuse treatment outcomes. The purpose of this proposed research is to conduct a systematic literature review exploring substance abuse and addiction treatment facility design.

1. To conduct a systematic literature review exploring substance abuse and addiction treatment facility requirement.
2. To develop a list of environmental qualities identified in the literature, such as positive distraction, nurse station observation, or support for social interaction that may affect patients and caregivers in substance abuse treatment facilities.
3. To identify potential collaborators and funding mechanisms to support original empirical research on this topic.