Users' attitudes as a guide to the evaluation of hospital nursing units

Information about the attitudes of patients, doctors, nurses, etc. toward the physical environment of hospital nursing units may contribute to assessments of the need for modernization or new units, and to the evaluation of alternative strategies for satisfying these needs. Existing techniques for the measurement of attitudes can be adapted to record reliable and valid judgements from the people who use nursing units rather than relying upon expert opinions at second-hand. Of the many factors which influence users' attitudes a person's role is especially important since it determines the nature of his experiences, and what he does in the nursing unit. An illustrative analysis has identified, in a sample of 34 units, physically distinct types which can be discriminated in terms of their functional areas. Users' attitudes vary according to the type of unit which they occupy. The general pattern of attitudes varies according to role; as does the relative importance attached to different aspects of the unit. The development of standardized questionnaires for recording users' attitudes would provide a useful tool for the planning and design of hospital nursing units.