Visibility, Physical Work Environment, and Stress in ICU Nurses

Relationships among coworker and patient visibility, reactions to physical work environment, and work stress in ICU nurses are explored.

Millions of dollars are invested annually in the building or remodeling of ICUs, yet there is a gap in understanding relationships between the physical layout of nursing units and work stress.

Using a cross-sectional, correlational, exploratory, predictive design, relationships among variables were studied in a diverse sample of ICU nurses.

Visibility had a direct effect on work stress (P < 0.01). The ViPES (Visibility, Physical Environment and Stress) model can help explain relationships among study variables. The findings from this study support the notion that high visibility is a job resource and low visibility is a job demand.

Design features supporting a sense of connection may be especially important to less experienced ICU nurses. Elements of the built environment that allow nurses to see not only patients, but also their coworkers, may help mitigate work stress.