Private Rooms Standard

[Lisa, MA]

How many of you agree that private rooms should be standard across the board? Not only does multiple patient rooms violate HIPAA laws, it is dangerous. Cross contamination is greater in a shared room as are other safety issues.

In a local facility here where I live, a man was just beaten to death this week by his demented roommate. It really gives pause.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

Yes, yes, yes. Agree completely. It grossed me out sharing a bathroom when I was admitted for copious diarrhea once.

[franciscangypsy]

My hospital only has private rooms for pts. I love it.

I think it should be across the board. How hard must it be for people to share their moments of grief or fear with another pt and his family. Not fair for anyone involved.

[TerpGal02, ASN]

For the most part ALL of the hospitals in my area have private pt rooms. Its really nice, and at my most local hospital, there are computers in every room too.

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

I work with immunocompromised pts, so our standard is private rooms.

But honestly, in the USA, there are families that no one shares a BR in their home. And you want to have sick strangers share a room and BR?

And while we are at it, what the heck is with family members that think it right to use the pts BR in a immunocompromised pt's room...or change their poopie baby's diaper on the overbed table (where the pt eats), or eat smelly food in front of a nauseated/NPO pt?

[Crux1024]

While semi private rooms dont violate HIPAA, I agree they are dangerous/inconvenient. However, with older hospitals, such as the one I work for, turning semi privates into full privates means less patients and therefore, less $$. And in this "economy" i dont see that happening anytime soon.

This reminds me of the patient we had who refused to share a bathroom with his roommate but demanded to use the staff restroom b.c the nurses looked "cleaner".

[DC Collins, ASN]

I'm with ya. I don't see any immediate solution, especially in this economy, but at least the trend is toward more private rooms in the facilities I have experienced. YAY for that!

DC :)

[JoMark06]

Actually, if you think about it, semi-private rooms are very much a violation of privacy and HIPAA. There is very little expectation of privacy when there is another patient and their family member(s) on the other side of the curtain while the doctor/nurse is talking to you about your health, current condition, etc. While I, the nurse, am held to HIPAA laws with regard to discussing my patients and their conditions/care with people outside of the hospital; people (visitors, other patients) are held only to common courtesy (which is lacking considerably in this day and age). There is nothing to stop Joe Blow's wife from telling her friends what she heard about John Doe in the other bed.

[GreyGull]

Actually, if you think about it, semi-private rooms are very much a violation of privacy and HIPAA.

HIPAA has addressed this extensively and since it is a frequently asked question, your hospital education personnel should have included this in your HIPAA training.

As long as there is a reasonable effort made to protect the patient's privacy when there is a discussion such as with a curtain and not shouting out the protected information, you are not violating "HIPAA". There are other privacy laws required by the state that do raise other expectations of privacy like doing a physical exam or HIV testing which can exceed HIPAA's scope of protection but again for patient care situations, the word reasonable is used. For electronic transfer and release of protected information, reasonable may be changed to absolute.

There are still many hospitals and LTC faciliities that have wards with 4 - 6 patients in a room. Our med-surg floors still have several rooms that can have 4 patients but we try to only place 2 patients in them and on a few occasions, 3. It also becomes a problem when the beds are so close the roommate can reach over and share a dinner tray. Pt safety and that of the care providers are bigger issues than most of the information that can be transferred during a normal conversation. Many semi private rooms are just to cramped to provide routine care and definitely not a good situation during an emergency. The CNAs know their responsibilies include getting the other patient out of the room as quickly as possible as well as all the extra furniture before the code team arrives to some very small rooms. There also should be a room dedicated on each floor for certain invasive procedures such as PICCs and thoracentesis that are routinely done at bedside. For health care providers to constantly reach and twist in these small rooms with risk for serious and disabling injury should be a consideration for the health and welfare of both the care giver and the patient.

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

I read somewhere that some hospitals are finding it more cost effective to have single rooms rather than shared rooms, especially when it comes to cross contamination. Since Medicare started having hospitals foot the bill for hospital acquired complications & infections, it seems reducing cross contamination potential is helping the bottom line.

Granted when you have a shared room there is not much that can be done about loud or obnoxious roommates (or visitors)

[grannyrn65]

Private rooms are the exception rather then the rule in my community. Private rooms are limited to patients with infections or immune-suppressed. I don't view semi-private rooms as invitation to cross contamination. If someone acquires an infection, while an in-patient, there is a break down in universal precautions, which can be traced back to the staff and/or physicians. Sorry but this is true. And without a statistical study, performed by the infectious disease nurse, I doubt the truism of less infections when in a private room.

I have shared my experiences as a patient and the number of times I had to ask everyone to wash their hands before touching me. Not only do physicians fail to follow correct procedure but so don't the RN's, LPN's and CNA's. So a private room would offer little protect. Shift changes occurs at 7AM or 7PM. If there are visitors, they are asked to leave the room during report. The physicians that care for me, as well as other physicians,all make early rounds. It would be nice to have a private room. But then I wonder if administrations wouldn't use the less patients to lessen the number of staff they employ?

Given the fact that baby boomer's are now hitting retirement and Medicare eligibility, as well as the expected impact of the health care reform bill, I think more beds will be need, rather then fewer. And not that many facilities can afford the capital expense of major expansion.

GrannyRN65

[JoMark06]

As long as there is a reasonable effort made to protect the patient's privacy when there is a discussion such as with a curtain and not shouting out the protected information, you are not violating "HIPAA".

I work with a fairly geriatric population at a teaching hospital where the docs think nothing of talking loudly (often necessary due to hearing issues) or preforming bedside procedures without thought of ever pulling the curtain.