Keys for Creating Nurse
Work Environments for Healthier(and Happier) Patients

EXECUTIVE BRIEF

The National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators discovered a clear correlation between
satisfaction levels of nurses and clinical outcomes for patients. But there are road blocks tothe best work environments for nurses. Demanding schedules, uncomfortable equipment
and time-consuming EHRs can all stand in the way of nurse satisfaction and ultimately, thepatient experience. Fostering the best work environment by using ergonomic principles
and caring for the whole nurse supports healthy and happy caregivers, strong nurse-patientconnections, and the best care.

Sponsored byThe Nurse-Patient2 KEYS FOR CREATING NURSE WORK ENVIRONMENTS FOR HEALTHIER (AND HAPPIER) PATIENTSSUPPORT THE WHOLE NURSE
Nursing is a physical job. It involves manual patient handling, spending
long stretches standing, performing repetitive tasks, and often working
in less than ideal physical environments, which can lead to cumulative
trauma disorders (CTDs) such as carpal tunnel syndrome, low backpain, and other musculo-skeletal disorders (MSDs). Nurses and nursing
assistants have some of the highest rates of MSDs and CTDs of any
workers from across all industries [1]. Alleviating MSDs, CTDs and low
back pain involves improving the ergonomics of nursing workstations bybalancing sit-stand times, creating physical spaces that promote good
posture and reducing fatigue-causing conditions.

Satisfied Nurses Lead toBetter Clinical Outcomes
Source: National Database of Nursing
Quality Indicators 2013

5–20%

Nurses also experience mental strain as they care for their patients’needs both physically and mentally. Mental resilience in the face ofsuffering patients and their family members can be difficult to maintain,even among the most experienced healthcare practitioners. Nurses who
have access to properly-designed equipment and the right amount ofrest have the ability to manage self-care and more effectively cope withmental strain on the job.
Create Ergonomic Workspaces

Quality of care increased

87%

Infection rate decreased

17%

Injury falls decreased

59%

Hospital-acquired pressure
ulcers decreased

There is arguably no environment where ergonomics is more important
than in a healthcare facility, where poorly designed equipment has thepotential to harm those who heal. Ergonomic improvements can include
customizing workstation desk heights for each worker, setting propermonitor viewing heights and distances from the viewer, and upgradingolder workstations that were not designed to accommodate computeruse [1]. When nurses are more comfortable in their physical space, they
can do their job more efficiently, communicate with other nurses andphysicians more easily and complete tasks with fewer interruptions [2].
When assessing the current physical environment and planning for
improvements, organizations should consider sit-stand heights, easeof adjustment, storage, security, weight and mobility. Consulting withan ergonomics expert can help educate decision-makers about which
system is the best fit for their organization. With the right workstations,caregivers can work comfortably and efficiently to better serve theirpatients.

KEYS FOR CREATING NURSE WORK ENVIRONMENTS FOR HEALTHIER (AND HAPPIER) PATIENTS 3

Find the Time Balance

Medication Carts Make Work
Easier and Reduce Medication
Incidents/Accidents

Throughout the workday, nurses are pulled in multiple directions,and how they allocate their time has profound effects on both work
satisfaction and patient care. It’s not uncommon for nurses to work
extended shifts of 12 hours or more with up to one-third of their timespent on documentation, rivaling or surpassing the amount of timespent on direct patient care [3,4]. Research suggests more than 25% of
a nurse’s time is spent walking the hospital floor [5]. Nurses prefer tospend as much time as possible working with patients, but administrativeand other duties fight for their attention. To make the most of a busy
day, nurses need to efficiently move between patient rooms, supply
cabinets and the nursing station. Hospitals should carefully consider theplacement of critical resources, including medication administration, toassist nurses in balancing a demanding schedule.

Source: Rochais et al. 201280%

Nurses who agreed medication
carts made work easier64%

Nurses agreed
medication carts reduce risk ofmedication incidents/accidents

Streamline EHR Practices
EHRs improve healthcare by offering greater connectivity, transparency,decentralization, mobility and access to vast amounts of data, butthey can be difficult to implement and navigate. One informal survey
discovered that a majority of nurses were now staying past theirscheduled shifts to complete daily documentation [6].
This has increased labor costs for hospitals forced to pay overtime. In
other instances, nurses have “clocked-out” and are documenting on
their own time, negatively affecting work-life balance and contributing tofatigue.
Equipping healthcare environments with well-designed, properly locatedworkstations gives nurses access to EHR when and where they need,conserving their precious energy and reducing patient wait-time [7].
Placing free-standing or wall-mounted terminals throughout the unit
can decrease nurses’ walking time, which increases the amount of timenurses can spend with patients. Mobile workstations can save time byallowing nurses to work where they are instead of moving betweenstations. Compact wall-mounted workstations in the patient room or in
the unit hallway serve as convenient touchdown points for accessing orentering information for brief periods.

1

The Joint Commission (2015). Sentinel Event Alert.

2U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety andHealth Administration. (2000). Ergonomics:
The Study of Work.

3

Shifting Shifts, Originally Published in Nursing 		
Leadership, 17(3): 1–4 July 2004.

4

Philipsen, N., Carruthers, W., Chi, G., Ensey, D., 		
Shmorhun, A., & Valdez, R. (2014). A Mixed-Methods
Assessment of Time Spent Documenting by Nurses
Using an Electronic Medical Records System. 		
2014 Systems and Information Engineering
Design Symposium (SIEDS).

5

Westbrook, J. I., Duffield, C., Li, L., & Creswick,
N. J. (2011). How Much Time Do Nurses Have for 		Patients? A Longitudinal Study Quantifying Hospital
Nurses’ Patterns of Task Time Distribution and 		Interactions with Health Professionals. BMC HealthServices Research, 11(1), 319.

6Yi, L., & Seo, H. (2012). The Effect of Hospital Unit Layout
on Nurse Walking Behavior. HERD: Health Environments
Research & Design Journal, 6(1), 66-82.

7

RN Work Project (2016). Newly Licensed Registered
Nurses: Facts and Figures [Infographic].

4 KEYS FOR CREATING NURSE WORK ENVIRONMENTS FOR HEALTHIER (AND HAPPIER) PATIENTSCONCLUSION
Driven by advances in technology, the future of healthcare will foster
greater connectivity, transparency, decentralization, mobility and accessto vast amounts of data, which will help shape the next generation ofcare. To usher in this new era, organizations need to place caregiverwell-being and workflows at the forefront. As everyday heroes, theywalk with patients through pivotal, life-changing moments. To ensure
they can provide exceptional patient care, caregivers need comfortableworkstations that allow them to complete documentation efficiently andthe best work environments to do their changing work.
Access to equipment that addresses concerns about allocation of time,
EHR use, and physical and mental toll can pave the way for stronger,
more meaningful patient-nurse connections where both caregivers andpatients thrive.
For more information about creating working environments for healthier(and happier) patients, download the Ergotron white paper created inconjunction with HBI, Honoring the Nurse-Patient Connection,or visit healthcare.ergotron.com.

USING HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN PRINCIPLESAND THE TECHNOLOGY OF MOVEMENT,WE BUILD ENVIRONMENTS
THAT HELP PEOPLE THRIVE.

MOVING YOU FORWARD@Ergotron@ErgotronInc@Ergotron@ErgotronGuy@Ergotron

Sponsored by

The Nurse-PatientConnection

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Better Working Environments Lead to Healthierand Happier Patients© Ergotron, Inc. 08.30.2019
Literature made in the U.S.A.
Content subject to change
Ergotron devices are not intended to cure, treat, mitigate or prevent any disease.