Evaluation of Multisensory Interactions Between the Healing Built Environment and Nurses in Healthcare Nursing Stations: Case Study of Tehran Hospitals

Abstract

Background: Nursing stations are important features of medical centers that are constantly in use. As nursing is an inherently stressful occupation, nursing stations should be designed to minimize stress on those who must spend time there. Aim: This study evaluated the effect of environmental design factors on mitigating the stress levels on nurses in nursing stations by determining the environmental factors that most influence the perceptual senses that affect physical and psychological comfort. Methods: A quantitative approach was used to evaluate the parameters that affect the sensory perceptions of nurses in nursing stations at four hospitals in Tehran. A survey was conducted to identify environmental design parameters that affect the visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic, and olfactory senses. Results: The results revealed that the olfactory category scored highest, followed by the auditory, visual and tactile categories, which had similar scores, and kinesthetic was ranked last. Conclusion: A connection was revealed between the educational level of the nurses and environmental factors affecting their sensory perception in terms of materials, aesthetics and the appropriate number of windows as a visual sense, and ergonomics as a kinesthetic sense. Significantly, the gender variable differed in the Furniture variable based on comfort of seating with respect structure. Based on the results of this study, a combination of olfactory, visual, and auditory factors should be required at the nursing stations to decrease the stress level of nurses.