The Multivariate Structure Of Design Evaluation: A Cylindrex of Nurses' Conceptualizations.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Architecture
• Nursing

Background:

• Evaluating building designs psychologically is complex.
• Facet theory offers a structured approach to understanding complex evaluations.
• Nurses' perceptions of ward design are crucial for patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To apply facet theory to analyze nurses' psychological evaluations of hospital ward design.
• To develop a definitional system for nurses' evaluations using a mapping sentence.
• To empirically test a predicted structural model of these evaluations.

Main Methods:

• Utilized facet theory and a mapping sentence to define the scope of nurses' evaluations.
• Developed a 93-item questionnaire through pilot studies.
• Conducted a three-dimensional smallest-space analysis on data from 1921 nurses across 144 wards in 23 hospitals.

Main Results:

• Empirical evidence supported the predicted "cylindrex" structure for nurses' evaluations.
• The structure involves facets of interaction levels, the object of interaction, and direct/indirect patient care.
• Smallest-space analysis confirmed the proposed model.

Conclusions:

• Facet theory successfully models nurses' psychological evaluations of building designs.
• The identified "cylindrex" provides a framework for understanding design impact on care.
• Findings have implications for future research and hospital design proposals.