What it means to you: Altering a hospital's layout and physical plant can reduce the number of infections suffered by patients, says thomasnet.com, citing studies by the Center for Health Design and the American Institute of Architects. Cutting down on steps, choices and distractions, for example, can help ensure that routine tasks such as hand washing and donning masks become habits. Other design alterations can also cut back on the number of infections. Read.

The scoop: Altering the design of a hospital has been shown to reduce HAIs and save lives, according to the same sources, as cited by Business Week. Whether it's locating everything in the same place in every patient room or improving the ventilation system, new construction and remodeling projects aimed at combating infection are on the rise. The Institute of Medicine report To Err Is Human states that safety in a health care setting begins with the systems you use — including the building that houses that system. (Plus, redesigning using green technology can also save money.)

Systems and safety-oriented healthcare design trends include:

· 100 percent single-patient rooms are already the norm at new hospitals in European countries such as Sweden, and are quickly making their way to the U.S., according to HealthCare Design magazine.

· Same-handed rooms are more expensive to build than mirror-reverse layouts, but they can cut hospital costs by preventing error in emergency and intensive-care units, says Building Design and Construction.

· Kiosk-type nursing stations help minimize noise and distractions, says HealthCare Design.

· Improved ventilation systems reduce airborne contaminants, according to pubmed.gov, a Web site of the National Institutes of Health and the National Library of Medicine.

Learn more: See CDC guidelines on hospital design for infection control.