L’expérience vécue des professionnels de la santé dans un grand centre hospitalier universitaire à Montréal : un regard contextuel
The objective of this doctoral research is to understand how healthcare professionals live in their work environment and what attributes of this physical environment facilitate their work and promote their well-being. The recent emerging hospital context and the construction of new large university hospital centres (CHU) in Quebec during the last decade have changed the nature of the hospital environment significantly. This new environment considers the multiplicity of users, stressors and multiple interactions of health professionals. Furthermore, this new hospital complex integrates new design approaches to alleviate users stress levels and ensure their well-being. The patient centred design approach implemented prioritizes the patient’s well-being and yet little is known about how the physical environment affects the experiences of healthcare professionals. This study examines these issues and their pertinence in light of prior scientific literature, that until recently has placed less emphasis on the healthcare professionals’ interactions within the physical work environment itself. Using a constructivist approach, this study explores these issues in the context of experiences within two care units at one new university hospital complex known as the CHU (Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal), Canada. Data collection methods included observations of the physical setting and healthcare experiences, supported by semi structured interviews and cognitive mapping that were used to collect data from 44 healthcare professionals. Data analysis uses both a comparative and interpretative approach to analyse the lived experiences of healthcare professionals from diverse perspectives. Results indicate that healthcare professionals evaluated their work environment as supportive. However, they perceived some attributes of the physical environment in this hospital as stressors and the stress faced by these professionals affect the quality of care of patients within the physical environment. The physical environment has an impact on the functioning of the care unit and its management. This study’s contribution includes establishing a portrait of the lived experiences of healthcare professionals and identify both the quality of care issues and the stress limitations among healthcare professionals as these are related to the physical environment. It highlights the importance of adapting the organizational and management system to the spatial configuration of care units in order to achieve optimal performance.
Stress Lived experience Healthcare facilities design Physical environment Healthcare professionals