International Research Project Academy Award Winner 2011
Sponsored by MAAP Architects
Lead judge
Dr Paul Barach, Australia
Panel
Dr Eve A Edelstein, MArch, PhD (neuroscience), Assoc AIA, F-AAA, Visiting Scholar, University of California, San Diego, New School of Architecture & Design, San Diego Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture
Mungo Smith, director, MAAP Architects
Criteria
Awarded for a completed, innovative, independently assessed, piece of research focused on a particular aspect of the design, function, construction, financing or maintenance of a healthcare facility or addressing a relevant topic concerning public health in the context of the working environment.
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Hui Cai receiving her award from
lead judge Dr Paul Barach and
Chris Shaw of sponsors MAAP Architects |
Winner
Stay Connected in Decentralized Nurse Stations: The Impact of Nurse Station Typology on Nurses' Informal Communication and Learning (USA)
Hui Cai, PhD Candidate, MA (Arch); Craig Zimring, PhD, Professor, College of Architecture, Georgia Institute of Technology
Citation: The contexts in which the healthcare organizations operate have changed dramatically in the recent decades. As a result, the typology of nurse station has experienced a lot of transformations. The traditional centralized nurse station has been gradually replaced by decentralized or mobile work stations to provide better bed-side patient care and reduce nurses’ fatigue due to walking. However there is little systematic research examining the usage of the new typologies and their impact on nurses’ behavior pattern, especially communication and learning.
Given the paucity of existing information, this study aims to rethink the implications of the decentralized nurse station as an evidence-based design feature, especially on nurses’ interaction and learning. The typologies of nurse station is hypothesized to impact the way in which caregivers interact with each other, share information and accumulate tacit knowledge in practice.
Our research is based on an extensive literature review on nurse learning and nurse station design. We discover that nurses’ learning has multiple levels and should be situated in the context where the knowledge can be retrieved and applied later. The design of nurse stations should support multiple types of learning activities and better visibility to both patient rooms and staff work areas. The space should provide optimized spatial relationships to increase opportunities for random encounter. Design with the described features will allow for better awareness of peers’ work and the sharing of information and knowledge.
We develop a comparative study on two wings of the newly designed Neuron Intensive Care Unit (2D ICU) in Emory University Hospital in Atlanta Georgia to test the hypothesis. By developing a long term non-intrusive observation, behavior mapping and spatial analysis in the two wings, we reveal different communication and learning patterns related to the different spatial organizations of nurse station design.
This research will provide an in-depth understanding of the correlation of nurse station typologies and nurses’ communication and learning patterns. It can also contribute to future designs of medical units to enhance communication, share knowledge, reduce stress and increase job satisfaction, help attraction and retention of nurses, hence improving team collaboration and quality of patient care. The proposed matrix of nurse station typology study points to new directions on holistic methodologies for future research.
Highly Commended
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Zhe Wang (right) and the Cannon Design team receiving their award from
Chris Shaw of sponsors MAAP Architects |
From Pre-design Research to Post-Occupancy Evaluation of Cancer Treatment Environments (USA)
Zhe Wang, PhD, RA, LEED AP, EDAC; Michael Pukszta, AIA; Natalie R Petzoldt, AIA, LEED AP, EDAC; Jennifer Hendrich Cayton, LEED AP
Finalists
Impact of Visual Art on Patient Behavior in the ED Waiting Room (USA)
Upali Nanda PhD, Assoc AIA, EDAC
Estimating Design Impact on Waste Reduction: Examining Decentralization (USA)
Dr Debajyoti Pati, PhD, FIIA, LEED AP; Kristin Whitehead, RN, MSN, MBA; Terry Thurston, RN, BSN, MBA; Richard Rucksdashel, MArch, AIA
Kids in the Atrium: Comparing Architectural Intentions and Children's Experience in a Pediatric Hospital Lobby (Canada)
Annmarie Adams BA, MArch, PhD; David Theodore, BA, MArch; Ellie Goldenberg, MPH; Coralee McLaren, PhD; Patricia McKeever, BN, MSc(A)
Architectural Design and Reducing Waiting Times in the Emergency Department (Canada)
Basel Abdulaal, Intern Architect, AAA, MRAIC, LEED AP, MSc Student; Mohamed Al-Hussein PhD, PEng; Saad Al-Jibouri, PhD, MPhil, BEng
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