title: Enclosed versus open nursing stations in adult acute care psychiatric settings: does the design affect the therapeutic milieu?
abstract: Specific efforts by hospital accreditation organizations encourage renovation of nursing stations, so nurses can better see, attend, and care for their patients. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of nursing station design on the therapeutic milieu in an adult acute care psychiatric unit. A repeated cross-sectional, pretest-posttest design was used. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 81 patients and 25 nursing staff members who completed the Ward Atmosphere Scale. Pretest data were collected when the unit had an enclosed nursing station, and posttest data were collected after renovations to the unit created an open nursing station. No statistically significant differences were found in patient or staff perceptions of the therapeutic milieu. No increase in aggression toward staff was found, given patients' ease of access to the nursing station. More research is needed about the impact of unit design in acute care psychiatric settings.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, USA.
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Southard
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jarrell
authors.forename: Mona M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Shattell
authors.forename: Thomas P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: McCoy
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bartlett
authors.forename: Christine A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Judge
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006749:Hospital Design and Construction; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D007374:Interior Design and Furnishings; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000451:nursing*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008884:Milieu Therapy; D009657:North Carolina; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011567:Psychiatric Department, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012637:Security Measures