When a nurse is on duty, she spends most of her time in the ward. Observe the changes of the patient’s condition and inform the doctor in time if any abnormality occurs. Do a good job of disinfection and isolation to prevent cross infection… Only back at the nurses’ station did they get a little rest.
If one is to assess the impact of the physical environment of a health care facility on nursing ability, perhaps only the nurse knows best. Therefore, when designing the nurse station, we should attach great importance to the opinions and suggestions of nurses and come up with the most reasonable plan to help nurses to complete the nursing task easily and efficiently. Now let’s talk about the six key points of nursing station design.
Make it easy for nurses to work and communicate with patients
The nurse station is the central activity point of the hospital, and also the work “base” of nurses. Most of the medical staff complete work tasks, allocate resources and rest together there… In TV programs, the nurses’ station is often the place where important plots take place. It is often a busy place, and the narrow and crowded space limits the communication between nurses and patients and their families, which is not conducive to the rehabilitation of patients and the establishment of doctor-patient relationship. Therefore, the location of nursing stations should adopt a combination of centralized and decentralized model, so that nurses are closer to patients in various places where they are needed.
Of course, every hospital is different, so it is impossible to have a space design solution that can adapt to all nurse stations. Designers should provide the design that can best play the nursing role of nurses according to the needs of patients, medical staff and the actual situation of the space. Designers carefully analyze all the factors of the different unit floors to come up with the best design for patients and staff.
Understanding the nursing process is the foundation of the design
There should be someone on the design team who understands the nursing process and acts as a bridge between the staff and the design team. “Hospital workers sometimes don’t understand design terminology and how an architect or designer is going to implement their vision, but I understand design needs and what they want and can act as a bridge,” says designer SusanSilverman, who has a master’s degree in nursing. In Susan’s view, the design team must provide new solutions to nurses’ daily problems, such as: can they reach patients quickly if they are in danger? Do they get the necessary equipment and drugs in the first place? Are patients and their families uncomfortable with the environment in the treatment facility?
Involve nurses in the design process
The ultimate user of the nurse station is the nurse, the purpose of the design is to improve the clinical nursing effect of nurses, let them work more easily. The designer should involve nurses in the design process and let them know how the design helps them improve their work efficiency.