Trend toward private rooms

[mshultz]

One of the local hospitals has a goal of providing all patients with private rooms. Reasons for this are:

"This is a trend in health care."

"Patients are less likely to talk about a sensitive issue in a semi-private room where they might be overheard. Private rooms are a big plus for the community."

The new Women's Pavillion and Progressive Care Unit will both have all private rooms.

I was fortunate when I was a patient. Since the hospital was full, I spent my entire 2.5 day stay in the Critical Care Unit, where I had a private room. After I was released, I mailed a Thank You note to the CCU, telling them I liked the quiet environment and the private room. Since roommate questions were not addressed in the patient survey, I like to think I played a small part in this decision to eventually have all private rooms.

In your experience, do semi-private rooms hinder patient information? I am proud of the fact that I was completely honest and open with the healthcare staff. However, the thought of having to discuss this stuff in front of a roommate and visitors just makes me cringe.

My insurance does not pay the added cost of a private room. In a facility with no semi-private rooms, it only pays 80% of the room cost. Due to the way things worked out for me, they paid the complete cost, but I see this could be a problem otherwise.

[PANurseRN1]

I agree. The one time I had a roommate, I hated it. Nosy woman with nothing better to do that eavesdrop, then tell her friends when they called the "latest" on what was wrong with her roommate.

[rn/writer, RN]

Our post-partum unit was redone about three years ago and now has 44 private rooms on two floors. I had three of my six kids at this same hospital (many years ago, to be sure) and, boy, do I wish there had been private rooms back then. And that was before the advent of round the clock visiting and the whole room service mentality.

The hospital where several of our daughters have given birth and where I have been admitted a number of times has also gone to private rooms. I am immensely grateful.

Single rooms have been a vast improvement over having to share with someone who has constantly-beeping monitors; throngs of visitors; medical conditions with disturbing sights, sounds, and smells; and all manner of sensory assault at any time of the day or night.

YOU might be the one intruding on the other patient's solitude. I would not want to feel responsible for keeping someone else awake or on edge. I wouldn't want to have to shush my visitors or feel apologetic for the lights going on in the wee hours as a nurse came to give me meds or help me to the bathroom.

Even with a wonderful roomie, you might find yourself drawn into conversations when you ought to be resting. Or getting all wrapped up in caring about another person's circumstances when you should be concentrating on your own.

In the UK where open wards are common, there is a bit of anonimity in being part of a larger group. The stimuli are still annoying, but the attachment--for good or ill--is less likely than when two people are thrown together in the confines of an actual enclosed room.

And then there's the small matter of infection control.

I quite like this trend and if presented with a choice of two otherwise equal hospitals, would leap in a heartbeat toward the one with private rooms.

[mmutk, BSN, RN, EMT-I]

Our hospital which was remodeled in 2005 is completly private and the hospital sites JACHO for the all private status.

[iHeartNICU]

Private rooms are a must in my opinion. As a patient and as a nursing student I see many benefits. As a patient I have never had a problem discussing things with a doctor while others are around but as a nursing student, now more aware of HIPAA, it seems like semi-private rooms as they like to call them here(Hmmm????), would be sort of in violation of that. Also, I have come across patients who will tell me anything under the sun about their condition when their roomie is out, but the second he/she walks back in they go mute. I think all hospitals should go to private tooms only and I think that eventually it may happen at most hospitals...around here anyway.

[UM Review RN, ASN, RN]

I think we just did a similar thread on this, but FWIW, yes, I believe that info is not given when a patient is in a semi-private room.

[jmgrn65, RN]

my hospital is planning on going to all private rooms but it will be over the course of several years.

[luvmy2angels]

Not only is this is trend in hospitals but also in LTC. We are opening our brand new "household" tomorow and there are 16 rooms...ALL private!! We are also renovating the existing building and turning some of the semi-private rooms into private rooms.

[debbyed]

Our hospital has always been all private rooms. It's an excellent selling point. And now with HIPPA we have the privacy required. Our hospital aquired infection rates are also below the norm.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

Although I detest semiprivate rooms I think the days of an open ward with 8-16 beds were not all bad. It's easy for patients to get wrapped up in their own problems and constantly focused inward. If they have enough people around them to stay connected in some way, but too many to feel personally responsible for it makes the day go faster. They can see that the world continues to go by even though they are sick and uncomfortable.