Many people have to stay in the hospital at some point. While a hospital stay is not ideal, patients can make their rooms more comfortable with personal touches and special gifts from family and friends.
For the most part, a hospital room is designed to help sick people heal. That’s why nurses caution against cluttering up a space that’s intended for medical care. However, there are exceptions. Nurse Caitlyn Nye, who works in nursing recruitment, recalls a patient who loved the movie “A Christmas Story.” His family surprised him with a leg-shaped lamp from the film. Other nurses say some patients will enjoy lava lamps, Himalayan salt lamps (which look like glowing rocks) or essential-oil diffusers as long as they are small and don’t compete with medical equipment. A manicure or pedicure also can be soothing, says nurse Arlene Heer, who takes care of heart patients.
In a hospital that has private rooms, patients will likely have a television, phone and control box for bed settings. Each room also has a white communication board where a nurse will write the names of staff members who work with a particular patient each day, as well as listing goals and activities for each day. The room’s bed controls will let a patient adjust the position of the head or feet and select local FM music stations, Direct TV channels and special health programs.
Most hospitals have multiple types of rooms, including three- and four-bed wards. Insurers typically cover the cost of a private room if it’s available when a patient is admitted. Patients may be able to get upgrades to semi-private or private rooms if they’re able to meet certain criteria, such as being sicker than other patients in the ward or having an urgent need for additional care, like a serious surgery or trauma.
Whether a patient is in a three- or four-bed room or in a private room, it’s important for them to read the hospital’s patient privacy policy and follow it. They should limit the number of visitors to family and close friends, wear masks and clean their hands frequently. They should also avoid touching dressings, tubes or bed sheets to prevent the spread of germs. They should ask a nurse for advice if they’re not sure what to do.
In addition to comforting patient rooms, a hospital must focus on safety and design. Hospitals must optimize every square foot of a patient room to add value, either to the patient experience or to help providers work more efficiently. This can include providing a digital footwall that displays care team information, patient schedules and entertainment options, as well as offering the ability for telemedicine video calls with doctors. Some hospitals have installed sliding door privacy features that can be used to separate the room from the hallway. Other hospitals have replaced standard bedside tables with computerized tablets, which allow a patient to connect to the Internet to stream entertainment and stay in touch with loved ones.