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  • Original Article
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Neonatal intensive care nursery staff perceive enhanced workplace quality with the single-family room design

Journal of Perinatology volume 30, pages 352–358 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

To compare perceived workplace quality in an open-bay neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and a single-family room (SFR) NICU.

Study Design:

Prospective non-randomized, non-controlled cohort study.

Result:

Staff workplace quality perceptions assessed included the following: the quality of being a Sanford Health System employee (NS—not significant), the quality of the NICU physical work environment, the quality of NICU patient care, the job quality in the NICU, the quality of health and safety in the NICU (NS), the quality of safety and security in the NICU, the quality of interaction with other members of the NICU health-care team (NS; in subanalysis nurse scores significantly declined), the quality of interaction with NICU technology and the off-job quality of life (NS). Scores for each category and the total scores were statistically greater in the SFR, except as noted (NS).

Conclusion:

Staff perceptions of workplace quality were significantly greater in the SFR than the open-bay NICU.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from the following organizations: the Sanford Health System, the Sanford Health Research Foundation, the Foundation for the Advancement of Medical Education and Research of the Sanford School of Medicine of the University of South Dakota and the Leadership Education Excellence in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Program of the Center for Disabilities of the Sanford School Medicine of the University of South Dakota (sponsored by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration, Grant T73MC00037).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Boekelheide Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Sanford Children's Hospital, Sanford School of Medicine of the University of South Dakota, Sioux Falls, SD, USA

    D C Stevens, C C Helseth, M A Khan & D P Munson

  2. Human Factors Research, School of Kinesiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    T J Smith

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  1. D C Stevens
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  2. C C Helseth
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  3. M A Khan
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  4. D P Munson
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  5. T J Smith
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Correspondence to D C Stevens.

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Supplementary Information accompanies the paper on the Journal of Perinatology website

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Stevens, D., Helseth, C., Khan, M. et al. Neonatal intensive care nursery staff perceive enhanced workplace quality with the single-family room design. J Perinatol 30, 352–358 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2009.137

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