DATA TRIANGULATION & CONCLUSIONS The data collected from the surveys give an indication (from the perspective of the nursing staff) of which areas the University of Miami Hospital in-patient clinic is doing very well in, and which areas could benefit from improvement. The areas of interest could be grouped into “Operational” and “Comfort” elements. These themes are further explained with the support of data received from the technical readings, plan analysis, and observations.
NATURE ACCESS •
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All patient rooms have a window with a view of the outdoors and nature. With the exception of the staff break room, most areas which nurses frequent do not offer windows to the outside.
SURVEY SUMMARY
Staff/Patient Movement & Flow
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Quality of Care, Safety, and Infection Control Aesthetics and Amenities
First impression of the whole unit
Physical and Ambient Comfort In-Unit
NEUTRAL
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NEUTRAL
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Staff amenities
NOISE
Air temperature in unit Daylight in staff work areas Noise levels in staff work areas Size of staff work areas Layout of staff work areas Air temperature in patient rooms
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Size of break areas Physical and visual access to nature
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The maximum recommended decibel level is 42db. Often times the noise level was around 70db (the level of a vacuum cleaner).
Increasing the overall temperature may help with comfort levels and impact the productivity and stress levels of the staff. The only time the nursing staff has access to nature is inside patient rooms, where they are occupied with the patient. There may be remediation through incorporating plant life within the workspace. Centralizing the work area by removing remote stations, and increasing square footage of the break room could remediate this concern and allow a more comfortable area for staff to unwind. Noise/echos can be reduced in staff work areas by including dampening materials such as rugs and plants (also bringing in nature to work areas).
LIMITATIONS • •
TEMPERATURE •
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NEUTRAL
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Staff Break Area
When time circulating is ignored, most of the time the staff is in the patient rooms. This indicates that the patient room conditions are as important than those of the staff work areas.
NEUTRAL
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Physical and Ambient Comfort In Patient Rooms
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NEUTRAL
The nursing staff at The University of Miami Hosipital 8th-floor inpatient clinic have expressed a great satisfaction with the operational elements of their work environment. This includes: • The ease of locating important destinations and supplies • The quality of care and safety
TIME
Ease of locating important destinations The location of supply closets in reltation to patient rooms
NEUTRAL •
OPERATIONAL SATISFACTION
COMFORT SUGGESTIONS
Areas for Improvement
Strengths
CONCLUSIONS & FINDINGS
Patient rooms were coldest Overall temperature was lower than recommended.
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All data collection was conducted for a short duration of time Sampling was based off of convenience Insufficient sample size
FUTURE RECOMMENDATIONS •
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Following investigations should occur over a longer period of time at various times of day. More participants should be recruited to obtain a more representative sample. Conducting interviews with the staff could provide a deeper understanding of the context in which they work.