Staff Perceptions Before and After Adding Single-Family Rooms in the NICU.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate staff perceptions of environmental quality before and after the renovation of an existing open-bay neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and the addition of 23 single-family NICU rooms in the Wasie Neonatal ICU at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital.

Background: In recent years there has been an increase in the design and construction of single-family rooms (SFRs) because they provide more privacy for families, offer better control over environmental stimuli such as lighting and noise, and possibly reduce infections. On the other hand, this model can cause staff members to feel isolated from one another, reduce their ability to respond quickly in a crisis situation, or impose additional demands on them.