Visibility, Physical Work Environment, and Stress in ICU Nurses

Area of Science:

• Nursing Science
• Environmental Psychology
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Significant investments are made in ICU construction and renovation.
• There is a lack of understanding regarding the impact of the physical ICU layout on nurse work stress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the relationships between visibility (coworker and patient), reactions to the physical work environment, and work stress in ICU nurses.
• To investigate the role of the built environment in the occupational health of critical care nurses.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional, correlational, exploratory, and predictive research design.
• Study conducted on a diverse sample of intensive care unit (ICU) nurses.

Main Results:

• Visibility was found to have a direct effect on work stress (P < 0.01).
• The Visibility, Physical Environment and Stress (ViPES) model effectively explains the relationships among the studied variables.
• High visibility acts as a job resource, while low visibility functions as a job demand for ICU nurses.

Conclusions:

• Design elements that foster a sense of connection are crucial, particularly for less experienced ICU nurses.
• Incorporating features that enhance visibility of both patients and colleagues can help alleviate work stress in the ICU setting.