The experience of finding patients in the individual ward was investigated on the basis of cross-analysis of 32 in-depth interviews. Researchers started with interrogation of patients treated in general wards. The study was conducted according to keyword “comfort“, “control “, “communication“ and “exclusion“. The results were determined after the generalization of personal data.
Standard common patient units evaluated by words - security, communication and physical comfort.
1. “Safety“: positive perceptions of safety have been associated with the proximity of staff; the ability to observe the care of other patients and to evaluate competence of doctors. The feeling of uncertainty was due to the frequent changes of staff. The attitude in the medical team, too, affect the sense of security.
2. The “communication“ was characterized by camaraderie in the ward and emotional comfort from social interaction. Nevertheless, the state or behavior of other patients influenced the dynamics. Patients feel confident if there was constant communication with personnel, what helped, including, and remote communication.
3. “Physical comfort“: experience was formed under the influence of many aspects of the environment - a common toilet, lack of space around the bed, the inability to control the lighting, temperature and noise.
Old patients were indifferent to the potential benefits, for them the foreground was a loss of close contact with the staff, loneliness and isolation. Without communication people fixed on their illness, and emotional status can manifest itself in psychosomatic complications.
Weakened patients for a longer time enjoying a shower and toilet, for them privacy in the bathroom and toilet are very important.
Patients noted the quality of lighting (the higher the degree of brightness and zoning, the more positive feedback has been received), the ventilation and the view from the bed and out the window. The ability to observe natural phenomena from patient unit was restored emotional background, so large windows get more advantages.
Was noted the change in the approach to the patient of different shifts. Some patients have experienced a lack of continuity in the care of their staff, which prevented to establish communication links. An important measure of emotional comfort was labels with the name of the doctor on the patient unit doors, badges, nursing areas.
4. “Control on the situation“: the confidentiality of the patient unit and independency in their actions and daily routine. Control of the situation is rarely stated by patients in common patient unit. They were not free to express their thoughts and felt the restriction of personal freedom, the continuing need to "keep face" and endure some medical procedures in the presence of strangers, also there was a limited family visits.
5. “Isolation“: absence of staff was noted mainly in individual patient unit. A patient with emotional disorders prefer a general ward, such people find the individual rooms "too quiet". In general ward staff comes more often.
The individual wards offered postpartum mothers more emotional comfort, as the baby's crying were not bother the neighbors. There were also opinions that the single chamber means having a personal medical staff, which, of course, not the case.
Conclusion: the responses were divided into groups: (1) preferred individual chambers, (2) preferred common wards, (3) undecided. The first group was the largest - 21 out of 32 patients. About one out of three of those patients (11 of 32) experienced a lack of interaction with other patients as a major flaw of a single room.
Seven patients prefer common patient unit, based on the need for dialogue, the six of them were men. Pregnant preferred individual wards, thinking that they will provide a higher level of security, privacy and physical comfort.
The findings are not absolute for other units or in other groups of patients. The geriatric wards, researchers were not able to interview the critically ill and delirious patients, only trauma patients were interviewed in this age group. Trauma, pediatric, delirious patients may have different preferences for the environment.
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