The role of physical design and informal communication

3.3.4 Analysis of Task, Person and Location
After analyzing the data separately by task, person, and location, the frequency
data was cross-tabulated to determine a) task by location, b) task by person, and c)
location by person.
a) Task by Location
Table 9 shows the frequency of tasks by location. The patient room and
backstage are not shown because the researcher did not follow the GN into these
spaces. The patient room was not entered to abide by HIPAA regulations and preserve
patient privacy. The backstage areas (kitchen, utility rooms, and locker room) were
not entered due to lack of space for the researcher to shadow.
Table 9 Task frequency by location
Location
Task Med Room Charge Desk Corridor Nurses Station
Non-Interactive 33.0 1.1 23.2 29.7
Social 45.0 1.7 28.3 23.3
Administrative 10.3 0.0 41.4 41.4
Being Taught 9.1 18.2 9.1 63.6
Seeking Assistance 16.7 14.3 38.1 23.8
Seeking Advice 32.5 7.5 2.5 55.0
Discussing Patient Care 19.1 6.8 27.8 43.2
Validation 40 20 0 40
Providing Assistance 37.8 2.7 10.8 37.8
Providing Advice 10.3 6.9 41.4 39.7
The CWM tool data indicates that the nurses station was both a hub of activity,
with at least 23% of each type of interaction occurring there, and the place where the
GN chose to do close to one third of her non-interactive work. The nurses station also
proved to be an important site for learning since 63.6% of “Being Taught,” 55% of
“Seeking Advice,” 40% of “Validation,” and 39.7% of “Providing Advice” occurred
82