Argument Analysis: Bringing The Outdoors In

Bringing the Outdoors In

After working outdoors for over 20 years, my biggest complaint in nursing is being cooped up for 8-18 hours a day. It drives me crazy! My best guess is that my patients do not care for it either. I chose to research the effects of fresh air and sunshine on patient well-being.

My PICOT question is:

• How would the addition of fresh air and sunshine (I) improve patient health (O) or experience in a 120 bed, long term care facility (P), over a years’ time (T), compared to a facility with no access (C) to fresh air and sunshine?

In my opinion, Florence Nightingale was correct when she talked about the benefits of fresh air, light warmth, cleanliness, quiet and diet, in relation to patient care. I examined a few

Occasionally, activities are scheduled outside. The problem is that staff members do not have time to take the residents that would benefit the most, to the garden and sit with them. I researched an article that believed that nature improved wellbeing, but the experience of nature is different for everyone, and even just sitting by a window with a view of nature improved health. This article discussed the idea deteriorating sensory perception prevented adults from enjoying nature, opening discussion for how to assist seniors in communing with nature, which improves health. (Orr, Wagstaffe, Briscoe, & Garside, 2016 , p. 1-17) The problem is that people cannot access nature when they get older for many different reasons. The article stated that the topic was under researched, which makes me want to explore this topic

I know sometimes I chart outside and I will take one or two residents with me. At my nursing home, many residents have to return to bed after lunch, but this takes time, if they staged residents outside on sunny days and a cna interacted with them, other cna’s could just come and get them on schedule. Another idea is to make it part of patients care plan. Start with a few residents and build the program from there. If patients are happier and healthier, ratings would increase. Improving building design would help as well. Government funding is available for busineesses that make an effort to make their building green, and there is criteria for this. One easy way to improve indoor space is to make a wall garden. An herb garden would be wonderful because residents could touch and smell the herbs. Plants make most people feel