Yi Lu1, Hui Cai2, Sheila J Bosch3. 1. 1 Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong. 2. 2 Department of Architecture, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA. 3. 3 Department of Interior Design, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Abstract
AIM: This study examined how the spatial characteristics of patient beds, which are influenced by patient room design and nursing unit configuration, affect patients' perceptions about privacy. BACKGROUND: In the hospital setting, most patients expect a certain degree of privacy but also understand that their caregivers need appropriate access to them in order to provide high-quality care. Even veteran healthcare designers may struggle to create just the right balance between privacy and accessibility. METHODS: A paper-based survey was conducted with 159 participants in Hong Kong-72 (45.3%) participants had been hospitalized and 87 (54.7%) participants had not-to document their selection of high-privacy beds, given simplified plans of eight nursing units. Two types of information, comprised of six variables, were examined for each bed. These include (1) room-level variables, specifically the number of beds per room and area per bed and (2) relational variables, including walking distance, directional change, integration, and control. RESULTS: The results demonstrate that when asked to identify high-privacy beds, participants selected beds in patient rooms with fewer beds per room, a larger area per bed, and a longer walking distance to the care team workstation. Interestingly, the participants having been hospitalized also chose beds with a visual connection to the care team workstation as being high in privacy. CONCLUSIONS: The participants with hospitalization experience may be willing to accept a bed with reduced visual privacy, perhaps out of a concern for safety.
AIM: This study examined how the spatial characteristics of patient beds, which are influenced by patient room design and nursing unit configuration, affect patients' perceptions about privacy. BACKGROUND: In the hospital setting, most patients expect a certain degree of privacy but also understand that their caregivers need appropriate access to them in order to provide high-quality care. Even veteran healthcare designers may struggle to create just the right balance between privacy and accessibility. METHODS: A paper-based survey was conducted with 159 participants in Hong Kong-72 (45.3%) participants had been hospitalized and 87 (54.7%) participants had not-to document their selection of high-privacy beds, given simplified plans of eight nursing units. Two types of information, comprised of six variables, were examined for each bed. These include (1) room-level variables, specifically the number of beds per room and area per bed and (2) relational variables, including walking distance, directional change, integration, and control. RESULTS: The results demonstrate that when asked to identify high-privacy beds, participants selected beds in patient rooms with fewer beds per room, a larger area per bed, and a longer walking distance to the care team workstation. Interestingly, the participants having been hospitalized also chose beds with a visual connection to the care team workstation as being high in privacy. CONCLUSIONS: The participants with hospitalization experience may be willing to accept a bed with reduced visual privacy, perhaps out of a concern for safety.
Entities:
Keywords:
nursing unit design; patient outcomes; patient room design; patient-centered care
Authors: Yiqi Tao; Stephen Siu Yu Lau; Zhonghua Gou; Jiayan Fu; Boya Jiang; Xiaowei Chen Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2018-10-01 Impact factor: 3.390