title: Staff Perceptions Before and After Adding Single-Family Rooms in the NICU.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study is to evaluate staff perceptions of environmental quality before and after the renovation of an existing open-bay neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and the addition of 23 single-family NICU rooms in the Wasie Neonatal ICU at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  In recent years there has been an increase in the design and construction of single-family rooms (SFRs) because they provide more privacy for families, offer better control over environmental stimuli such as lighting and noise, and possibly reduce infections. On the other hand, this model can cause staff members to feel isolated from one another, reduce their ability to respond quickly in a crisis situation, or impose additional demands on them. Few studies document the advantages and disadvantages of the SFR NICU model.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study utilized pre- and post-move surveys to investigate staff perceptions of the NICU.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, staff members perceive the quality of the work environment, and the safety and quality of the environment provided to patients and their families, as better in the renovated, combination NICU design (SFR and open bay) when compared to the open-bay, pre-move design.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In spite of the potential drawbacks of having SFRs in the NICU, the study demonstrates that nurses may perceive associated benefits, such as a reduction of job stress and improvements in parental privacy, along with other positive outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Corresponding Author: Dr. Sheila Bosch, 302 Knights Run Ave., Suite 900, Tampa, FL 33602 (Sheila_bosch@gspnet.com).
authors.forename: Sheila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bosch
authors.forename: Tamara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bledsoe
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jenzarli
mesh_terms: D006749:Hospital Design and Construction; D006801:Humans; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D010290:Parents; D010362:Patients' Rooms; D010465:Perception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires