Hadi Khatereh, Zimring Craig
College of Architecture, Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
College of Architecture, Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA.
HERD. 2016 Jul;9(4):35-49. doi: 10.1177/1937586715621643. Epub 2016 Jan 8.
This study analyzes 10 intensive care units (ICUs) to understand the associations between design features of space layout and nurse-to-patient visibility parameters.
Previous studies have explored how different hospital units vary in their visibility relations and how such varied visibility relations result in different nurse behaviors toward patients. However, more limited research has examined the specific design attributes of the layouts that determine the varied visibility relations in the unit. Changes in size, geometry, or other attributes of design elements in nursing units, which might affect patient observation opportunities, require more research.
This article reviews the literature to indicate evidence for the impact of hospital unit design on nurse/patient visibility relations and to identify design parameters shown to affect visibility. It further focuses on 10 ICUs to investigate how different layouts diverge regarding their visibility relations using a set of metrics developed by other researchers. Shape geometry and corridor width, as two selected design features, are compared.
Corridor width and shape characteristics of ICUs are positively correlated with visibility. Results suggest that floor plans, which are repeatedly broken down into smaller convex (higher convex fragmentation values), or units, which have longer distances between their rooms or between their two opposite ends (longer relative grid distances), might have lower visibility levels across the unit. The findings of this study also suggest that wider corridors positively affect visibility of patient rooms.
Changes in overall shape configuration and corridor width of nursing units may have important effects on patient observation and monitoring opportunities.
本研究分析了10个重症监护病房（ICU），以了解空间布局的设计特征与护士对患者的可见性参数之间的关联。
以往的研究探讨了不同医院科室在可见性关系方面的差异，以及这种不同的可见性关系如何导致护士对患者的不同行为。然而，针对确定科室中不同可见性关系的布局的具体设计属性进行研究的较少。护理单元设计元素在大小、几何形状或其他属性方面的变化可能会影响对患者的观察机会，这需要更多的研究。
本文回顾文献，以表明医院科室设计对护士/患者可见性关系影响的证据，并确定已证明会影响可见性的设计参数。它进一步聚焦于10个ICU，使用其他研究人员开发的一组指标来研究不同布局在可见性关系方面的差异。比较了形状几何和走廊宽度这两个选定的设计特征。
ICU的走廊宽度和形状特征与可见性呈正相关。结果表明，平面图反复分解为较小的凸形（较高的凸形破碎值），或者病房之间或两端之间距离较长（相对网格距离较长）的单元，整个单元的可见性水平可能较低。本研究结果还表明，较宽的走廊对病房的可见性有积极影响。
护理单元整体形状配置和走廊宽度的变化可能对患者观察和监测机会产生重要影响。
