Doing some research...

Hi!

I am hoping some of you can help me out. I am currently researching trends in the healthcare industry and am looking for information on nursing stations. In part of my research I am talking to architects to understand their view, but I also need the opinion of the people actually working in and around these facilities on a daily basis.

Some questions I have are:

What are current "trends" in terms of design and functionality;
How do healthcare professionals use the nursing station;
What equipment is on and around the nursing station;
Are most nursing stations centralized or decentralized;
How many people are in a nursing station at the same time;
Besides a reception counter, what other areas are included in your nursing station (meeting rooms, computer stations, file storage, etc).

I am essentially looking for a snapshot of "life in and around the nursing station".

Would you mind answering some of my questions, and sharing with me some things you do and do not like about your current nursing station area, and why? How can you nursing station be improved?

Anything you can share with me would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you so much!

Wilco

Maybe this is the wrong place to ask these type of questions.
If it is - can somebody please point me in the right direction?

Thanks!

In my experience, the nursing station is the "heart" of any unit. I work ER, and I prefer a nurse's station that is glassed in, to cut down on any conversation that can be overheard by patients- this is beneficial to staff, as well as protects patient confidentiality.

I also prefer nurse's stations that have plenty of computer stations, and a SEPARATE area for the doctors- the thing that drives me crazy is when docs come to the ER to see a patient and plant themselves in our work area, hogging the nurse's computers, etc....

In an ER, equipment that should be in the nurse's station (which should be centrally located) includes: plenty of phones & computers, fax, copy machine, EMS radios, file cabinets with necessary forms, non-medical supplies like paper, pens, etc, central cardiac monitoring station, x-ray/CT viewing screens. The med room & supply rooms should not be IN the nurse's station, but should be close, same with a break room & bathroom for staff (call me a bathroom snob, but I refuse to use the same bathroom as the patients).

Ideally, there would also be a margarita machine in the middle of the nurse's station, but every time I suggest that, management always shoots that idea down.....:banana: