title: Lighting and Nurses at Medical-Surgical Units: Impact of Lighting Conditions on Nurses' Performance and Satisfaction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study investigates the perception of nurses about their lighting environment at medical-surgical hospital units in order to understand areas of improvement for lighting at these units.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The bulk of the research about nurses and lighting is focused on nighttime nursing, exploring the disruptions of nurses' circadian rhythm and maintaining alertness. The understanding of nurses' perception about lighting and its impact on nurses' task performance and patient examination remains imprecise.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study used an online survey to ask a set of questions about lighting in medical-surgical units at five key locations including centralized nurse stations, decentralized nurse stations (DCNS), patient bedsides, patient bathrooms, and corridors from 393 survey participants. It then explored the survey findings in more depth through conducting focus groups with eight volunteer nurses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Lighting conditions at patient besides and DCNSs were significantly less desirable for nurses compared to other locations. A significant relationship between nurses' access to lighting controls (switches and dimmers) and satisfaction about the lighting environment was found. No significant relationship was observed between the individual characteristics of nurses (such as age, years of experience, etc.) and findings of this study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Thoughtful design of the lighting environment can improve nurses' satisfaction and perception about their working environment.
authors.affiliation: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Khatereh
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hadi
authors.affiliation: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA jennifer.dubose@coa.gatech.edu.
authors.forename: Jennifer R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: DuBose
authors.affiliation: University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Omaha, NE, USA.
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ryherd
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005160:Facility Design and Construction; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006749:Hospital Design and Construction / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008029:Lighting / Q000592:standards*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D009873:Operating Rooms / Q000592:standards*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: hospital design; lighting; medical–surgical unit; nurse performance; nurse satisfaction