Perceived visual comfort and usefulness of a circadian lighting system implemented at a nursing home

This study is an investigation of how staff working at a Danish nursing home experienced,
perceived, and used a circadian lighting system that has been operating since 2018.
The purpose of the installed circadian lighting was to improve the staff and residents’
health and well-being. This paper demonstrates the importance of training and introducing
the staff to the lighting system, especially operating, and maintaining a prolonged
desired utilization of the system. In this study, we employed an action research methodology
that included interviews, observations, and a questionnaire. We investigated 42
staff members’ perceived visual comfort with, satisfaction with, perceived ease of use,
and perceptions of the usefulness of the circadian lighting. Mixed methods proved
valuable in the subjective assessment of light and visual comfort. We present an alternative
card sorting method to study perceptions of a 24-hour lighting system. The findings
revealed that the staff considered circadian light as satisfactory and a more adequate light
for work than the existing lighting system. The staff considered being able to adjust the
light important for maintaining visibility, setting the lighting depending on the activities,
and meeting residents’ needs. Furthermore, the results showed that a thought-out strategy
to introduce the staff to the new lighting can be important for satisfaction and prolonged
use of the lighting. Lastly, we also found that the circadian lighting system can improve
the caregiver burden for night shift workers.