Interaction of nursing efficiency and spatial design in different departments: An agent-based modeling approach

The spatial design of nursing units can significantly enhance nurses' work efficiency. However, existing studies primarily focus on optimizing space for individual department, often overlooking the diverse spatial needs of different departments due to variations in work content. In this study, questionnaires were collected from 456 nurses across five departments of nursing units in 14 general hospitals, and semi-structured interviews and behavioral observations were conducted in the same five departments of nursing units in one hospital to assess spatial design and work efficiency, thus evaluating the impact of specialized design on departmental performance. Additionally, agent-based modeling (ABM) was utilized to simulate nursing efficiency in each department, comparing spatial arrangements before and after optimization by simulating nurses' behaviors. Results indicated obvious differences in spatial needs among departments, suggesting that standardized nursing unit designs fail to meet specific departmental needs, resulting in low satisfaction of nurses. Adjusting the spatial environments of nursing units based on departmental differences can improve efficiency. This study proposes optimization strategies for the spatial environments of nursing units in different departments, aiming to enhance nursing efficiency, job satisfaction, and reduce occupational stress.