The role of physical design and informal communication

extrapolating to an 8-hour frequency), average time per interaction, and average time
of each interaction during an 8-hour shift. The data was also analyzed by week to
assess whether there was a change over time. Observation and responses from
focused interviews were used to further make sense of the CWM tool data.
3.3.1 Analysis by Task
a) Frequency
Table 1 shows the percentage and frequency of each task over the entire eight
weeks of data collection, and the average frequency during an 8-hour shift (see
Appendix M for complete CWM tool category definitions). The “In Transit” category
was used to record how frequently the GN walked between locations on the unit. As
Table 1 shows, about one third of the GN tasks were “In Transit” (168 times on
average during and 8-hour shift) which agrees with findings from previous research
(Burgio et al., 1990). Note that “In Transit” was also the task with the highest
frequency, followed by “Non Interactive,” which accounted for about one fifth of the
tasks and occurred 120 times on average during an 8-hour shift. Looking only within
the communication categories (Figure 19), about one third of the GN communication
was “Discussing Patient Care” (discussing patient status or care plan with staff or
visitor) (30%), 27% was “Social,” (non-work related or venting about work) and 11%
was “providing advice” (providing advice or guidance when someone lacks skill or
knowledge). Given that the subject is a graduate nurse, it might seem odd that within
the top three most frequent interactions was “providing advice.” However, it should
be noted the staff the GN was advising were nursing assistants and nursing students,
both of which have less training than the GN. During an average 8-hour shift, the GN
discussed patient care 54 times, had 48 social interactions, and provided advice 21
times (Figure 20). The most infrequently performed communication tasks were
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