Nurses' impact on the hospital environment: Lessening or contributing to the chaos?

May and Mion talk about the four areas under nurses' control that may contribute to cognitive function or dysfunction in the older patients: identification of the nurse, maintaining orienting information in the room, consistent use of glasses and hearing aides, and noise control. Personnel are an important and ever present component of the hospital environment. Numerous personnel enter the patient's room daily: nurses, nurse assistants, physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, housekeepers, dietary aids, therapists, social workers, case workers, and so on. From the patient perspective, knowing the role of the individual provides an important grounding for expectations. Uniforms assist not only in proper identification of the nurse, but can also inspire confidence. For older adults, white is the preferred color to distinguish the licensed nurse. Regardless of color, presence of an identifiable uniform results in higher ratings of nurses' competence and professionalism.