Staff base
A&E staff work in a high pressure environment and need to have opportunities to relieve stress, reduce tension, and reinforce the sense that they are part of a supportive community. However, staff taking a few minutes to chat to each other can be viewed as time wasting by patients.
Designers can help provide staff with areas where they can have private consultation, as well as engage in light hearted communication to relieve stress and reduce tension.
Patients can be in cubicles for extended periods of time, and may become anxious if they can’t see any staff. Positioning patient bays around a central nurse station allows patients to see staff and feel reassured, as well as catch their eye if they need to.
A centrally located nurse station enables a 360 degree view of the patient bays by one staff member, important in a time of significant financial restrictions. It also enables them to respond quickly should any incidents arise. It has been shown that units laid out on a radial pattern require less walking and allow better visibility of the bedspaces. [Reference: Center for Health Design, Ulrich, Roger, Martinez, C.A. et al (2004) The Role of the Physical Environment in the Hospital of the 21st Century: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity ]
Staff spend significant amounts of time walking between different areas of the department. Having decentralised supply stations can help to halve the time spent walking, and free up time for patient-care. Staff can spend considerable amounts of time at their work stations, inputting data into computer systems. Patients or visitors may need to approach the work station and should not feel intimidated to do so. The design of the station should be such that they are open enough to allow for patient/visitor and staff interactions and questions - whilst also maintaining a degree of privacy for staff.
Lighting and sound design
Whilst the patients may require low levels of lighting, bad lighting has been found to contribute to the occurrence of medication errors. Bright task lighting should be provided for nursing staff. [Reference 1]
Noise sources are numerous in any hospital department and can cause all occupants to feel stressed. There is evidence that staff find higher noise levels stressful and that this is associated with reported emotional exhaustion or burnout.
How could designers help you fit sound absorbing materials, create different lighting schemes to improve the privacy of staff in A&E?