When you’re sick and injured, your first stop is often a hospital emergency room. Here, you’ll be evaluated and treated by a team of doctors and nurses who will order tests, treat your symptoms and decide whether to admit you to the hospital for a longer stay or send you home with instructions and follow-up visits arranged. Then, you’ll get a room and a nurse will be assigned to care for you. But did you know that your hospital room can influence how well you recover from a high-risk operation? In fact, factors such as the number of patients per room and how close a room is to a nursing station may have a significant impact on your outcome. That’s according to a study published recently by the University of Michigan.
The research looked at data on more than 1 million operations. It found that patients who underwent high-risk operations had better outcomes when they were in single rooms closer to the nursing stations. This is because the more visible staff were and the easier it was for them to communicate with the patient and provide treatment. Essentially, good communication with the patient is crucial to recovery and the hospital staff was more easily able to interact with patients who were in a single room closer to the nurses’ station.
In addition to the location of the room and how close it is to the nurses’ station, a variety of other hospital room design features were assessed in the research. These included noise levels – which can be very high in some hospitals – lighting, access to the bathroom and other utilities, and the layout of the space. Interestingly, researchers also surveyed patients about their own hospital room experiences. “What we heard is that patients need a sense of security,” said Patterson, the lead author of the study. They want to know who’s entering their room and what role they have, a safe for valuables in the room, and access to their belongings without having to move them out of the way.
The bottom line is that hospital rooms need to be functional and sanitary for patients and staff, but they should be comfortable spaces where patients feel cared for and well-supported during their stays. This can be done with a few small design elements, such as casework that makes it easy for staff to clean and disinfect surfaces.
To hear more about the U-M study, listen to this podcast from the Michigan Medicine News Break. You can subscribe on iTunes or Spotify.
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The patient experience is a key factor in patient satisfaction and the health of communities. This can even drive increased revenue as patient satisfaction is linked to higher reimbursement rates.
Hospitals need to be prepared to meet the changing demands of healthcare and patients. This means embracing new technologies and providing patients with a more personalized approach to care. By combining these trends with proven healthcare interior design features, we can help your hospital deliver a responsive patient experience that surpasses expectations.