Balancing a full-time career with academic studies has been an immensely rewarding journey for Debbie. Supported by her employer throughout her professional development, she has spent the last three years studying Ergonomics and Human Factors at Loughborough. As she prepares to graduate, Debbie is showcasing the culmination of her studies at the Postgraduate Showcase, presenting pioneering research that addresses critical safety gaps in emergency healthcare.
Emergency care meets ergonomics: How Debbie uncovered the hidden thermal risks of A&E floor nursing
Clinicians in the UK’s emergency departments are forced to make complex decisions to keep a vulnerable mental health patient safe. With standard stretchers posing severe stability and self-harm risks, floor nursing is sometimes utilised as the safest immediate option. However, environmental temperatures in these areas can introduce hidden thermal risks.
For Debbie, a postgraduate student studying Ergonomics and Human Factors at Loughborough, this real-world dilemma sparked a vital research project. Balancing her studies alongside full-time work supported by her employer, Debbie set out to investigate what happens to the human body when a patient has to be nursed on a mattress placed directly on an A&E floor.
What sparked the idea for this project, and how did you tackle such a complex real-world healthcare challenge?
Departmental leads had raised concerns that overnight environmental temperatures in A&E floor areas could pose hidden thermal risks to vulnerable patients, but there was no existing data to answer that critical question. To bring rigorous academic methodology to the problem, I used a two-staged approach: I gathered baseline temperature data from five UK A&E departments to establish authentic conditions and then used Loughborough’s specialised environmental chambers to run controlled trials with healthy volunteers.
What was it like testing those scenarios inside Loughborough’s environmental chambers?
It was an incredible opportunity, but also one of my biggest early hurdles! I had to learn how to rein in my ambitious scope to fit a manageable timeframe. With the support of my supervisor and the team at the environmental centre, we were able to safely model physiological reactions monitoring core and skin temperatures, heat loss, and thermal comfort over 90-minute periods that could never ethically or practically be studied on vulnerable patients in a live A&E setting.
What did your findings reveal, and why are they so important for emergency clinicians?
The research showed that for the 90-minute period studied core temperature remained stable, exposed skin sites cooled significantly while insulated areas warmed. Crucially, because distressed or vulnerable patients may lack the capacity to communicate that they are getting cold, clinicians previously lacked the evidence needed to individualise care and balance immediate safety risks against thermal comfort. My design project at the Postgraduate Showcase highlights these critical empirical findings.
Looking ahead, what are your hopes for this research and your next steps after graduation?
I hope this study paves the way to further this research which needs to consider different sleeping positions, insulation levels, and longer exposure times to reflect real clinical situations. I also hope to publish the findings of my project in academic journals to support clinical decision-making. Reflecting on my journey, this course has fundamentally shifted how I think and approach problem-solving. I plan to take these advanced ergonomics principles straight back into my full-time career to drive meaningful, evidence-based improvements in healthcare safety.
What have you taken away from your time at Loughborough?
Reflecting on this journey as I prepare to graduate, this master's has fundamentally shifted how I think and approach problem-solving. Being able to use Loughborough's world-class environmental chambers allowed me to bridge the gap between academic theory and urgent, real-world healthcare challenges in a way I never thought possible. Supported by my employer and expert supervisors, I'm eager to take these advanced ergonomics principles back into my full-time career and I hope to publish these findings, influencing clinical practice and driving meaningful improvements in emergency care safety.
To explore more about postgraduate study options within the School of Design and Creative Arts, visit our study pages.
The above link will be updated following the launch of the Postgraduate Showcase on 2 November where you will be able to view more of Debbie's work and visuals on this project.
