NURSING UNITS AND COMMUNICATION Considering the built environment’s impact on social support and job satisfaction

INTRODUCTION Nurses are primary contacts for all those involved in a patient’s care, creating a complex system of communication responsibilities (Leppa, 1996). The work environment of nurses is complicated, stressful, detail-oriented, and it significantly influences patient outcomes. Communication between nurses and members of the patient care team is critical to the delivery of quality health care. Understanding how and when nurses communicate with each other could help designers of health care spaces create more effective environments that support nurses’ work and personal health and welfare.