A Participatory Design Process Addressing Ergonomics in Hospital Patient Rooms

Details

• Personal Author:
  Evans KD ; Lavender SA ; Patterson ES ; Sanders EB-N ; Sommerich CM
• Description:
  In many workplaces the awkward postures and motions exhibited by workers, and the effort required to complete work-related tasks, bear a direct relationship to the layout and organization of the workspace. Hospital patient rooms are workplaces for many occupational groups, many of which find themselves working in physically demanding ways due to the design of these rooms. The long term goal of line of research is to reduce musculoskeletal injuries and discomfort experienced by healthcare workers in institutional settings. The primary goal of this research project was to address the needs of the all the stakeholder groups working in medical/surgical (med/surg) patient rooms through a systems approach, largely driven by a participatory design process. In the first phase of this work, 147 people, representing 23 different hospital-based occupational groups, participated in focus groups and interviews where they discussed the work they do in med/surg patient rooms and what aspects of room design make their work more difficult physically. The analysis of these data were stratified by the different phases of the work process specifically when they enter the room, as they prepare to perform their tasks within the room, as they perform their tasks within the room, and as they prepare to and leave the room. In the second phase of this study, 104 individuals from 24 occupations, worked in mixed occupational groups, at full scale, to create their ideal med/surg patient room. Twenty-seven sessions yielded 27 room designs, which were grouped into five categories, based on bed and bathroom location similarities. A hybrid room design was then created to represent each of the five categories and present many of the innovative ideas of the participants. The five hybrid layouts were then shown, at full scale, to patients and their visitors/family member in the third phase of the study, because while we are trying to optimize these workplaces for hospital staff, they need to also meet the needs of the room occupants. The 37 patients and 24 visitors/family members provided rich qualitative data highlighting their needs within these spaces. The fourth and final data collection phase comprised reviewing the hybrid layouts with staff to discover (1) which design features were liked and disliked, (2) where there were design conflicts between different occupational groups, and (3) where there were design conflicts between occupational groups and the patients or visitors. This research process yielded a set of 66 guidelines that capture the design needs and innovations across all phases of the study. These guidelines should enable designers, planners, hospital administrators, and others interested in patient room design to make informed design decisions during new hospital construction and remodeling projects, and lay the groundwork for future evidence-based research related to healthcare facility design. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Ergonomics Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Health Personnel Hospitals Musculoskeletal Diseases Occupational Health Safety Workplace
• Keywords:
  Design Standards Health Care Facilities Health Care Personnel Health Care Workers Hospital Equipment Injury Prevention MSD Musculoskeletal Disorders Patient Handling Safety Engineering Work Environment Workplace Studies

  More +
• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Final Grant Report
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OEP - Office of Extramural Programs
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-87
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20051978
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2018-101412
• Citation:
  Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, R01-OH-010181, 2017 Dec; :1-87
• Contact Point Address:
  Steven A. Lavender, 1971 Neil Ave., Room 210 Columbus, OH 43210
• Email:
  Lavender.1@osu.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• NORA Priority Area:
  Healthcare and Social Assistance
• Performing Organization:
  The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20120701
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20170630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a55fe3942a6ebb2a2abe4dd09fac70f63e42c5cdae8edce8fcff6514eca0c890b39454ef67e87f8efc1aa1e9f83b9528ba8a99aea66892a573b5e80380e287e3
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/218685/cdc_218685_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.42 MB ]