Nurses' Perceptions of Acute Care Unit Design and Fall Risks
MEDSURG Nursing
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Jannetti Publications Inc.
Authors
Gail Powell-Cope, Sherry Ahrentzen, Stephen Luther, Ronald Shorr, Slande Alliance, Gary Fischer
Issue Information
Volume 33,
No 5,
Pages 220 -
227
Abstract
Background: Research focused on hospital risks and the built environment lacks input from nursing staff. This study addressed the gap by including walkthrough interviews, allowing staff to describe design features on medical-surgical units that help prevent or exacerbate falls.
Aim: Understand unit design features that may prevent falls and mitigate patient injuries.
Methods: Purposive sampling was used to recruit 31 participants from across three VA facilities. Interviews, which were facilitated by a qualitative researcher, included multiple nursing staff and researchers as the walked through their unit.
Data Analysis: Transcripts from interviews were analyzed with rapid assessment techniques. Data congruence was established by including multiple facilities while analytical bias was controlled through peer debriefing and double coding by two researchers.
Results: Nursing staff feedback highlighted good and bad design features across units' hallways, patients rooms, and patient bathrooms. Design features, such as pocket bathroom doors, decentralized nurses' stations , and well-placed shower grab bars, may help reduce falls and minimize patient injury. Conversely, design features, such as multiple occupancy patient rooms, poorly pitched showers floors, and a lack of windows into patient rooms, should be avoided.
Limitations and Implications: The study was limited to three VA facilities. Feedback from staff can be used by hospital architects to include useful design features and avoid designs that can contributed to falls.
Conclusions: Nursing staff input help elucidate the impacts of unit design in relation to patient falls. Staff insights provide an essential perspective toward improving unit design.
Aim: Understand unit design features that may prevent falls and mitigate patient injuries.
Methods: Purposive sampling was used to recruit 31 participants from across three VA facilities. Interviews, which were facilitated by a qualitative researcher, included multiple nursing staff and researchers as the walked through their unit.
Data Analysis: Transcripts from interviews were analyzed with rapid assessment techniques. Data congruence was established by including multiple facilities while analytical bias was controlled through peer debriefing and double coding by two researchers.
Results: Nursing staff feedback highlighted good and bad design features across units' hallways, patients rooms, and patient bathrooms. Design features, such as pocket bathroom doors, decentralized nurses' stations , and well-placed shower grab bars, may help reduce falls and minimize patient injury. Conversely, design features, such as multiple occupancy patient rooms, poorly pitched showers floors, and a lack of windows into patient rooms, should be avoided.
Limitations and Implications: The study was limited to three VA facilities. Feedback from staff can be used by hospital architects to include useful design features and avoid designs that can contributed to falls.
Conclusions: Nursing staff input help elucidate the impacts of unit design in relation to patient falls. Staff insights provide an essential perspective toward improving unit design.
Subjects
hospital fall
hospital construction
hospital design
hospital units
medical-surgical unit
Article Stats
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