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Publisher: The Center for Health Design and Georgia Institute of Technology
File Size: 270 KB
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Executive Summary:
Nurses are the cornerstone of hospital care delivery and the
hospital’s most costly and valuable resource; their efficiency and
effectiveness are central to any effort to maximize patient safety or
minimize costs. Studies suggest that elements of the current hospital
work environment, including inefficient work processes and physical
designs, gaps in technology infrastructure, and unsupportive
organizational cultures, contribute to inefficiencies and stress for
hospital nurses, limiting the time they can spend in direct patient
care.
These same elements contribute to nurse burnout, which, in turn,
hinders the recruitment and retention of nurses. Furthermore, reduced
nurse-patient ratios have been linked to increased mortality,
highlighting the fact that nurse staffing and efficiency are linchpins
of patient safety. Innovations in hospital design and work processes
have the potential to enhance the recruitment and retention of staff,
increase the efficiency of care delivery, and improve the quality of
clinical care and patient safety while avoiding reimbursement penalties.