Nurses’ Satisfaction With Patient Room Lighting Conditions: A Study of Nurses in Four Hospitals With Differences in the Environment of Care

The present study aims to contribute to current knowledge about nurses’ perceived importance of lighting in patient rooms and to compare these perceptions across different ages, work shifts, (day and night), and environments of care (traditional and contemporary).

Creating an environment of care in patient rooms that successfully balances energy efficiency concerns with the holistic needs of patients, families, and caregivers poses a major challenge for future lighting systems. This study adds to a growing evidence base on the effects of lighting on nurses’ job performance, job satisfaction, and overall perceptions of the environment.

Survey responses from 138 participants working in medical–surgical units in four hospitals were analyzed using a mixed-methods approach, with three of the hospitals having lighting systems characterized as providing a traditional environment of care (TEC) and the other hospital having lighting systems characterized as providing a contemporary environment of care (CEC).

No significant differences were found based on age or work shift, but several significant differences were found between participants working in the hospital with a CEC and those working in hospitals with a TEC. Participants from the hospital with a CEC lighting system consistently reported higher lighting quality, fewer patient complaints, and less need for supplemental lighting than the participants from the three hospitals with TEC lighting systems.

The results of this study provide evidence that innovative lighting approaches and technologies are worth considering as an investment by hospital administrators looking to improve perceptions of the patient room environment.