Unit Layout and Critical Care Nurses' Perceptions of Visibility, Teamwork, and Taking Breaks

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Design
• Organizational Psychology

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic and staffing shortages have led to an increase in novice nurses in intensive care units (ICUs).
• Novice nurses require accessible team support for complex critical care work.
• Decentralized workstations and large patient rooms in ICUs can create physical barriers, hindering collaboration and support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between critical care unit design and nurses' perceptions of teamwork.
• To explore how unit layouts influence nurses' ability to take breaks.
• To examine the relationship between unit design, teamwork, and visibility of patients and colleagues.

Main Methods:

• A national survey was conducted with nurses who selected their unit layout from graphical representations.
• Nurses responded to survey questions regarding teamwork, break-taking, unit layout, and visibility.
• Statistical analyses explored correlations between unit design, teamwork, break behaviors, and visibility.

Main Results:

• A significant positive relationship was found between nurses' perception of teamwork and their likelihood of taking both meal and non-meal breaks.
• No statistically significant correlation was identified between the unit layout and nurses' perception of teamwork.
• The study explored visibility but did not report specific findings in the provided abstract.

Conclusions:

• While unit layout did not directly correlate with teamwork, fostering connection and collaboration is crucial.
• Encouraging environments that promote team connection may positively influence nurses' break-taking behaviors.
• Further research is needed to fully understand the impact of unit design on nursing outcomes.