ABSTRACT
Designing the work of health care providers is an important issue for health care organizations, the providers themselves, patients and their families, and society at large. Poor work conditions can contribute to negative outcomes for health care organizations, such as high turnover and injuries (Cohen-Mansfield, 1997). Health care providers may experience a range of negative feelings and emotions and suffer from health problems and injuries when their work is not ergonomically designed (Linzer et al., 2000; Stubbs, Buckle, Hudson, Rivers, & Worringham, 1983). Patients and their families may be indirecdy affected by poor design of the work environment in which care is provided to them (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2002; Institute of Medicine Committee on the Work Environment for Nurses and Patient Safety, 2004). Finally, society at large may be affected by poor design of health care working environments. For instance, nursing shortage has been linked to difficulty in attracting and keeping nurses because of poor working conditions (Institute of Medicine Committee on the Work Environment for Nurses and Patient Safety, 2004; Wunderlich & Kohler, 2001). Understanding the characteristics of “good” work and learning about the process of work system design provide the foundation for health care organizations to engage in work improvements that can ultimately lead to a range of positive outcomes for the organizations themselves (e.g., reduced turnover), the workers (e.g., increased job satisfac tion), patients and their families (e.g., improved qual ity and safety of care), and society (e.g., decreased nursing shortage) (Carayon, Alvarado, Brennan et al., 2003; Carayon, Alvarado, & Hundt, 2003; Kovner, 2001; Sainfort, Karsh, Booske, & Smith, 2001).
