In a world where our environment—either negative or positive—impacts our overall health, patient room design in healthcare facilities is perhaps the most important interior design of all. Though efficiency and function of the space needs to be optimized for healthcare workers and staff to appropriately and promptly perform their duties, so does the psychological and emotional need behind the patients.
Consider a healthcare situation in which a large room has 20 beds, full of patients, either lightly sick to terminally ill. Imagine there are only 5 nurses and no room dividers between the patients. Every patient can see, hear, and watch one another as the limited number of healthcare workers attend to their patients while illnesses seemingly worsen. There are no windows or airflow, the patients feel imprisoned, and the patient room design feels incoherent at best.
Now let’s consider a situation more common: a patient in their own room in a hospital. There is a window with natural light coming in, a couch and chair for visiting family and friends, a soft, comfortable bed that has a button that connects you immediately to a nurse. Although a bit overly sterile—and for good reason—the design is focused on providing positive experiences to impact healing patients.
The key component to patient room design, even when layouts are not optimal, is creating comfortability and peace.
Through the use of modular room dividers, it is possible to provide impressive medical care while creating an environment where positive experiences can flow to the patient in a well-rounded approach to healthcare.
Benefits of Patient Room Design with Modular Dividers
Healthcare is a challenging sector of society because it is still a business, one that puts patients first but needs to also consider its finances. Optimal scenarios can be envisioned but it comes at a cost, and such costs aren’t always feasible. The balance then is to take medical understanding and pair it with what is possible economically in order to optimize the process and achieve the best outcomes possible.
To that end, healthcare businesses stand to benefit from modular room dividers, both to maintain high-quality healthcare during the renovation process, and also to be nimble with floor space and adapt to the ever-changing needs of the patient population.
Let’s look at the benefits in detail:
Creating Flexible Spaces
Modular room dividers provide healthcare facility designers with the flexibility to adapt and customize patient room layouts based on evolving needs. The ability to reconfigure spaces easily allows for the creation of private zones within larger rooms that meet the diverse requirements of patients, medical staff, and visitors.
Maintaining Privacy and Dignity
Privacy is a paramount concern in healthcare settings. When constrained by the base layout of the building and its rooms, modular room dividers can play a crucial role in achieving privacy. By strategically placing dividers in patient rooms, new layouts can offer enhanced privacy for examinations, consultations, or personal moments in order to provide a sense of dignity and respect for patients while in a vulnerable state.
Infection Control and Cleanliness
The modular nature of room dividers contributes significantly to infection control measures. Traditional construction methods during renovation often involve disruptive processes like sawing and sanding which release particles into the air and on the ground.
Modular dividers can be easily cleaned and sanitized to reduce the risk of contamination and help ensure a hygienic environment for patients and healthcare professionals.
Some, like SwiftWall® Flex, are even capable of airtight seals. This becomes essential when adhering to Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) protocols. An Infection Control Risk Assessment becomes mandatory in scenarios where construction, remodeling, or maintenance activities might generate dust or alter environmental conditions that heighten the potential for health risks and infection spread. This requirement is particularly important in instances where building systems undergo significant changes or replacements.
Enhancing Aesthetics
Beyond their functional benefits, modular room dividers can contribute to the overall aesthetic appeal of patient room designs. Room dividers, even if temporary, need not be bland! They are available in a variety of designs, materials, and finishes to be seamlessly integrated into the existing design scheme, to create a cohesive and aesthetically-pleasing environment.
Improved Patient Experience
The patient experience is a focal point in modern healthcare design, so modular room dividers need to be able to meet the task.. The ability to modulate room dividers allows designers to craft a positive environment for patients, such as allowing for private interactions with healthcare providers and visiting family and friends. With room dividers, disruptions like ongoing renovations need not be a detriment to maintaining a positive and empowering experience for those undergoing medical treatment.
Ease of Installation and Adaptability
One of the standout advantages of modular room dividers is their ease of installation. SwiftWall® modular wall systems offer 5x faster installs. Unlike traditional construction methods that can disrupt daily operations for extended amounts of time, precast modular dividers can be swiftly implemented without causing major disturbances, even airtight systems like SwiftWall® Flex. This adaptability is particularly beneficial in healthcare settings where efficiency and patient care continuity are of the utmost importance.
Keep Patients Healthy and Happy with Modular Room Dividers from SwiftWall®
SwiftWall® offers healthcare facilities exceptional modular temporary wall systems to meet aesthetic and even the most stringent functional requirements, to maintain safety for patients, and a positive atmosphere from which to recover.
SwiftWall® Flex is the ideal choice for healthcare facilities, as the ability to quickly install room dividers that provide an airtight seal covers requirements for sterility during renovation and otherwise. The system offers a flexible, adjustable height to fit varying ceiling heights, as well as optional components like doors and windows.
SwiftWall® Flex features include:
- Adjustable Height: Ranges from 7’6″ to 12’3″ feet to eliminate the need for cutting
- Frameless Design: Offers a finished wall appearance
- Easy Maintenance: Features a non-microbial surface that is simple to clean
- Quick Installation: Can be installed five times faster than traditional methods
- ICRA Class V Compliant: Meets the highest infection control standards with negative air capabilities
- Versatile and Durable: Ideal for rapid reconfiguration in healthcare construction environments
No matter the situation in your healthcare facility—whether its heavy renovations or a need to install modular room dividers to create patient room designs—SwiftWall® has the perfect solution to achieve aesthetic and functional goals.
Reach out to our team today and we’ll find the perfect modular room divider solution for your unique patient room situation!
