Physical Characteristics of Nurse Stations in In-Patient Departments

Abstract

This research aims to study the physical characteristics of the design standard of nurse stations that are currently common. The researcher reviewed the architectural drawings of 14 Buildings from 11 hospitals, interviewed seven designers, and observed how the area is used by nurses through the interview of 16 people from 6 hospitals, in order to analyze the factors that affect the physical nursing of the workplace. The assumption is that the working process within in-patient department changes with the development of technology. As a result, existing standards do not respond to the current usage requirements. The design of nurse stations in in-patient departments should take into consideration the functional areas of each department. The research suggests an appropriate proportion between the nurse station area and the in-patient department area. It was also found that the nurse station can be divided into nine areas based on activity types. Proportion of the nine areas differ, depending on each hospital’s construction budget, working culture, building area, type of user, number of staff and working process. However, the designer should also consider the hospital’s service policy and working process in the nurse’s station area. This research is expected to develop guidelines for the design of functional nurse stations in the in-patient departments in the future.