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.