Raise the lantern
Hoe licht kan bijdragen aan het behoud van een gezonde en veilige ziekenhuisomgeving met het oog op verpleegkundigen
Summary
Raise the lantern. How light can help to maintain a healthy and safe hospital environment focusing on nurses
Mariëlle Aarts
AIM: To determine how lighting can support hospital nurses.
METHOD: The thesis consists of multiple studies: a controlled study to identify the best lighting conditions for reading medication labels; an archive study of incidents data to identify a potential correlation between light and (number of) incidents; methodology studies on how to measure light in field studies; a survey on the routines and the impact of shift work on nurses; an observational study on the effect of light exposure on alertness, sleep, and recovery; and finally, a placebo-controlled intervention study on the effect of light glasses on shift work.
FINDINGS: Improved light conditions reduce the number of reading errors of medication labels. Light can also support the constant switching of the biological clock, when working fast-rotating shifts. Light glasses showed its potential, although the impact was lower than claimed. Additionally, several methodical studies from an engineering perspective were performed.
DISCUSSION and CONCLUSION: Lighting is a simple, natural manner to support the work and health of nurses. Therefore, this should be given more attention in the hospital environment, where healthy nurses are key in maintaining a high standard of healthcare.
Keywords: Light, care professionals, hospital environment, health