Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Layout and Nurses' Work.

Area of Science:

• Neonatal care
• Healthcare environment design
• Nursing studies

Background:

• Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) traditionally use open bay (OPBY) designs, leading to high noise, infection risk, and lack of privacy.
• The single-family room (SFR) NICU design aims to mitigate these issues, representing a significant shift in the care environment for nurses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and synthesize existing literature on the impact of single-family room (SFR) NICU design compared to open bay (OPBY) layouts on neonatal nurses' work.
• To identify the advantages and disadvantages of SFR NICUs for nursing practice.

Main Methods:

• A literature review was conducted, identifying thirteen studies published between 2006 and 2015.
• Studies were analyzed and categorized based on reported advantages and disadvantages concerning nurses' work in SFR NICUs versus OPBY layouts.

Main Results:

• Advantages reported include improved physical environment quality, enhanced patient care, better parent interaction, and increased nurse job satisfaction, with reduced stress and burnout.
• Disadvantages include decreased interaction among the NICU patient care team, increased nurse workload, reduced unit visibility, and challenging family interactions.
• A prominent trade-off identified is between nurse visibility and patient/family privacy.

Conclusions:

• Single-family room NICUs present a complex environment for nurses, involving significant trade-offs, particularly concerning visibility and privacy.
• While the impact on nurses' work is documented, the mechanisms by which the built environment influences these impacts and their interactions require further investigation.
• The current research provides a foundation, but future studies should explore the nuanced interplay between the physical space and nursing practice in SFR NICUs.