A predictive model for computing the influence of space layouts on nurses' movement in hospital units

Ruchi Choudhary, Sonit Bafna, Yeonsook Heo, Ann Hendrich, Marilyn Chow

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

35 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Spatial design influences organizational productivity of healthcare by affecting how healthcare providers use the space. Current healthcare models are not very relevant for space layout and planning because they represent spatial variables through very simplistic measures such as path distances and number of physical resources. Adding syntactic variables of space to these models would derive the effects of alternative layouts better and in more realistic ways. This article presents a generalized linear model that predicts the effect of different layouts of hospital units on nurses' movement patterns. Results from the model show that spatial properties of a nurse's assignment have a predictable impact on the frequency of trips that he or she makes to the patient rooms during a shift. The model is shown to have explanatory power and can be used to predict the movement patterns of nurses for units that are roughly similar in size and organizational process.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)171-184
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of Building Performance Simulation
Volume3
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2010
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We are indebted to Wendy S. Goshert, National Time & Motion Study Coordinator, Health Evolutions; Boguslaw Skierczynski, PhD, Bio-statistician, Ascension Health; and Zhenqiang Lu, PhD, Visiting Assistant Professor of Statistics, Purdue University, for their help with the project. Parts of this work were funded by grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Fundation.

Keywords

  • Healthcare
  • Nurses' productivity
  • Simulation
  • Space planning

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Architecture
  • Building and Construction
  • Modelling and Simulation
  • Computer Science Applications

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