Is an open or enclosed nursing station better, and for whom? A scoping review

The benefits of enclosed versus open nursing stations are frequently discussed among inpatient nurses and hospital administrators. This scoping review synthesizes the state of the science on architectural best practices for inpatient psychiatric units and identifies gaps in the literature about enclosed versus open nursing stations. Nine peer reviewed articles from PubMed, CINAHL and EBSCO, and Web of Science were extracted for review. These articles were written in English and published between 2015 and 2024. All included studies occurred on adult inpatient psychiatric units. Qualitative and one mixed method study whose sample included inpatient nurses, nursing staff, patients, and their caregivers were included. Findings suggest a preference for an open nursing station by patients and caregivers; however, only some nurses and nursing staff may prefer open nursing stations. Nurses and nursing staff who are averse to open nursing stations express anxiety regarding a lack of a patient-free space, and anxiety regarding staff-directed violence by patients, and fear of breaching patient confidentiality. Nursing stations with a physical plexiglass barrier were reported to feel less inviting and stigmatizing by patients. The therapeutic alliance was reportedly better in units with open nursing stations because staff interacted more positively and frequently with patients, patient needs were more promptly attended to, and patients perceived the milieu as warmer. Further research is needed to identify a standard of practice for optimal architectural designs of adult inpatient units, especially nursing stations.