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DiversityNursing Blog

Hospital Designs With Staff Well Being In Mind

Posted by Erica Bettencourt

Wed, Mar 20, 2024 @ 09:24 AM

Working in the healthcare field is both demanding and stressful. Nurses often face challenges like adjusting to irregular hours, taking on extra shifts, and coping with the emotional toll of losing patients. While healthcare professionals are skilled at problem-solving, healing, and managing pressure, they are not immune to the lasting impact of stress and trauma.

“Even before the pandemic, healthcare workers faced challenging working conditions that lead to burnout. This includes long work hours, risk for hazardous exposures, stressful work, and high administrative burdens,” John Howard, M.D, director of NIOSH, said in a release. “Hospital leaders need support to implement organizational changes. Practical adjustments can reduce burnout and strengthen professional wellbeing within their hospitals.”

Therefore, it is essential to ensure healthcare professionals have access to mental health programs and spaces that promote well being. Incorporating straightforward design changes within hospitals can greatly enhance the mental wellness of healthcare staff.

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston is currently building a 482-bed expansion called Cambridge Street centered around enhancing staff and patient satisfaction, optimizing operational efficiency, and promoting environmental stewardship. Several years ago, MGH’s 150-bed Lunder Building was created with the same goals in mind. 

According to Harvard Business Review, The Lunder building offers plentiful access to daylight through a glass-encased stairwell used only by staff, who have adopted the corridor as a de facto meeting space (nicknamed the “stair conference room”). Staff also use this stairwell as a place to “be alone together” and report that they find comfort watching employees traverse the stairwell while they use the space to think and decompress.

Exposure to daylight impacts work-related stress and job satisfaction and is found to affect clinician burnout. Since less noise can reduce stress among caregivers and also help patients recover from illness, the Lunder building uses a variety of sound-absorbing materials and techniques to make the patient floors 35% quieter than typical health care buildings. 

An article from Jacobs.com mentions, Peer-reviewed research emphasizes the therapeutic benefits of nature in healthcare settings. Exposure to natural light, greenery, and outdoor views has been linked to reduced stress and better sleep, faster recovery times, and improved overall patient outcomes. One study found that patients with bedside windows overlooking nature healed faster, experienced fewer complications and required less pain medication compared to those with views of brick walls.

The influence of nature’s benefits extends beyond patients. Research shows hospital staff working in environments with natural elements report lower stress levels and higher job satisfaction, and it has a knock-on effect — this leads to better patient outcomes, too. Improving staff retention and engagement directly impacts cost and productivity, too.

Many healthcare facilities are embracing the idea of providing support spaces that allow staff to utilize their break times and choose how they recharge during their valuable moments of rest. For example, some hospitals are implementing restorative zones and including nap areas for staff, situated conveniently close to patient units for ease of access.

Wellness rooms support employees’ mental well-being by providing a designated space for relaxation and stress relief. These wellness rooms usually include yoga mats for stretching and meditation, a cozy reading nook stocked with donated books for staff to enjoy, exercise equipment for physical activity, comfortable seating for relaxation, and decor inspired by nature for a tranquil atmosphere.

Organizations are exploring innovative solutions to support their staff's well-being through nutrition, such as satellite food lockers, mobile ordering apps, and discounted meal programs featuring healthy options.

Given the increasing concern about workplace violence within the healthcare community, hospitals are prioritizing the integration of security measures into their design, construction, and renovation processes. The goal is to create designs that help reduce fear, cut incidence of crime, and improve overall quality of life and well-being for staff and patients.

Healing gardens have become a vital component of hospital landscape design, offering a multitude of benefits for both patients and staff. These serene spaces not only enhance well-being and recovery but also play a crucial role in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. By incorporating greenery, healing gardens provide a therapeutic sanctuary that fosters physical, emotional, and environmental wellness within healthcare facilities.

In conclusion, implementing design modifications within healthcare facilities can significantly improve the mental well-being of healthcare professionals.

Topics: mental health, well being, wellness, hospital designs, mental health support programs, nurses mental health

Creative Ways Hospitals Are Supporting Nurses Mental Health

Posted by Erica Bettencourt

Wed, May 12, 2021 @ 02:41 PM

nursestressBefore the COVID-19 pandemic, Nursing was known to be a stressful profession. There was plenty of data showing burnout to be a significant problem among US Nurses.

With increasing stress placed on front line Nurses during this pandemic, hospitals are investing in initiatives and programs to support the mental health of these employees.

Mount Sinai Health System, created recharge rooms for healthcare workers. Dr. Putrino and his team created multi-sensory experiences that can reduce stress in just 15 minutes. These rooms are filled with faux plants and candles, illuminated with calming lights and one wall displays relaxing scenes and sounds. Slider5-Episode38-Recharge-750x400Putrino said, "Listen, what we need is a space or a series of spaces where our healthcare workers can sit down and for just a moment have a lot of their stress just relieved and taken away from them."

Stony Brook Medicine used a similar idea when creating a respite room called "Resilience at the Brook." The large, peaceful area features plants, calming wall art, a pod for private mediation, and relaxing materials, such as coloring books and miniature Zen gardens, to help employees rejuvenate. Employees can also add encouraging messages and quotes to inspire each other on the Motivation Mural Wall.

CharminOhio State University Medical Center (OSUMC) Stress, Trauma and Resilience (STAR) Program uses the Buckeye Paws program. A group of certified therapy dogs visit to provide comfort and emotional support to healthcare staff.

Emily Fawcett, R.N., a float Nurse on all floors at Lenox Hill hospital, started "hope huddles." Hope huddles are held at the beginning of shift changes and Nurses gather together to share news of patients recovering and other inspiring, and even humorous, stories.

Cody Regional Health created a wellness area for employees. The new space, staffed 24/7, includes a meditation room, eight bedrooms with private bathrooms, laundry and shower facilities, on-site access to licensed therapists for emotional support, puzzles and games, and an exercise area to meet employees’ needs.

Elise Phelan, a surgical unit Charge Nurse at UCHealth created the Resilience Program. Phelan would bring in massage therapists, movement therapists, yoga instructors, nutritionists and sometimes therapy puppies.

Code Lavender began in 2008 with Earl Bakken at North Hawaii Community Hospital. Calling the code signals to the Code Lavender team that an individual or group of individuals are in need of emergency psychological assistance.

Many hospitals like Cleveland Clinic have started implementing this code. The Code Lavender team usually comprises representatives from the spiritual care and healing services departments, and other hospital-based support services (such as employee assistance, music therapy, wellness, the ethics consultation service, and art therapy), and volunteers.
Code-Lavender

Bayhealth offers staff Code Lavender Kits. Kits include a back massager, aromatherapy inhalers, LED candles, a sound machine, Code Lavender journals, and a tote to store everything in.

It's very clear there is a need for this kind of support and innovation. The well-being and morale of front line workers should remain a top priority even after the pandemic.

Topics: mental health, mental health nursing, front line workers mental health, mental health support programs, nurses mental health

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