Factors influencing evaluation of patient areas, work spaces, and staff areas by healthcare professionals

Abstract

Previous research reported that healthcare professionals rate the physical work environment more negatively than other characteristics of the environment. This study investigated salient dimensions of employees’ perceptions of healthcare facilities and differences across demographic groups. A total of 496 healthcare professionals from eight acute care hospitals participated in this cross-sectional study. Employees’ perceptions of 27 different architectural and physical features in patient areas, work spaces, and staff areas were measured. Common factors were extracted through principal component analysis, levels of association between employees’ perceptions and each architectural and physical feature were determined through confirmatory factor analysis, and differences across demographic groups were defined through invariance analysis. Findings of this study highlight the importance of attention to caregiver needs for a safe and comfortable work environment via finishing materials, indoor air quality, and furniture design. In comparison, features that address the visual quality of the work environment, such as window views and artwork, were found to have smaller associations with positive evaluations by employees. However, in non-clinical staff areas, employees appreciate features improving the visual quality of their rest area. The study also found that younger employees and those newer to the facility would appreciate improvements in the architectural/physical features to a greater extent.