Abstract
Purpose:The purpose of this research is to (1) investigate the impact of nursing unit design on nursing staff communication patterns and, ultimately, on patient falls in acute care nursing units; and (2) evaluate whether differences in fall rates, if found, were associated with the nursing unit physical structure (shape) or size.Background:Nursing staff communication and nursing unit design are frequently linked to patient safety outcomes, yet little is known about the impact of specific nursing unit designs on nursing communication patterns that might affect patient falls.Method:An exploratory longitudinal correlational design was used to measure nursing unit communication structures using social network analysis techniques. Data were collected 4 times over a 7-month period. Floor plans were used to determine nursing unit design. Fall rates were provided by hospital coordinators.Results:An analysis of covariance controlling for hospitals resulted in a statistically significant interaction of unit shape and size (number of beds). The interaction occurred when medium- and large-sized racetrack-shaped units intersected with medium- and large-sized cross-shaped units.Conclusion:The results suggest that nursing unit design shape impacts nursing communication patterns, and the interaction of shape and size may impact patient falls. How those communication patterns affect patient falls should be considered when planning hospital construction of nursing care units.
Highlights
The purpose of this research is to (1) investigate the impact of nursing unit design on nursing staff communication patterns and, on patient falls in acute care nursing units; and (2) evaluate whether differences in fall rates, if found, were associated with the nursing unit physical structure or size
The results in this study support those from other studies (Fay et al, 2017; Real, Barduch, & Barduch, 2017). It appears that nursing unit design and size may affect fall rates because some unit design shapes allow less close visual or aural monitoring than others, which is crucial for preventing falls
The results of this study suggest that communication network data may be an important consideration to support desirable communication patterns that have the potential to reduce the number of patient falls
Summary
The purpose of this research is to (1) investigate the impact of nursing unit design on nursing staff communication patterns and, on patient falls in acute care nursing units; and (2) evaluate whether differences in fall rates, if found, were associated with the nursing unit physical structure (shape) or size. Conclusion: The results suggest that nursing unit design shape impacts nursing communication patterns, and the interaction of shape and size may impact patient falls. How those communication patterns affect patient falls should be considered when planning hospital construction of nursing care units. Because some nursing units in our sample were in different buildings within the same hospital, we attempted to differentiate the impact of nursing unit shape differences versus characteristics common across all nursing units (despite their different physical designs) within a single hospital on fall rates
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
