This study compared nurse communication using a new decentralized nurse station model in a newly built urban, trauma-1 level hospital with the experiences at the “old” hospital where there was a centralized work space where nurses could easily hear one another and worked in close proximity to each other.
The objective of this study was to investigate how the built environment impacts communication, patient care processes, and patient outcomes.
In this mixed-methods study, data collected from nine focus groups was subjected to qualitative analysis guided by a conceptual framework based on systems theory and prior health care design and communication research. Quantitative modeling was employed to assess walking distances on two nursing units.
Nurses, techs, and nurse managers perceived that the new decentralized format adversely affected teamwork, social support and mentoring. Inefficiencies such as walking distances were improved in some ways but exacerbated in others. When nurses are separated by distance, implications related to communication, social support from peers, and learning cannot be ignored.
Two significant limitations are evident. First, this study took place in a single facility; therefore, the generalizability of the results is limited. Secondly, the data analysis sections were limited and did not provide adequate detail regarding the steps in analysis.