Elsevier

Applied Nursing Research

Volume 19, Issue 3, August 2006, Pages 118-125
Applied Nursing Research

Original article
Nurses' perception of single-occupancy versus multioccupancy rooms in acute care environments: An exploratory comparative assessment

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnr.2005.06.002Get rights and content

Abstract

Health care design professionals, planners, and administrators cite the advantages of private patient rooms, including reduction of hospital-acquired infections, reduction of patient stress levels, and facilitation of nurses' and health care workers' efficiency [e.g., Ulrich, R. (2003). Creating a healing environment with evidence-based design. Paper presented at the American Institute of Architects, Academy of Architecture for Health virtual seminar—Healing environments; Ulrich, R., Quan, X., Zimring, C., Joseph, A., & Choudhary, R. (2004). The role of the physical environment in the hospital of the 21st century: A once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity. http://www.healthdesign.org/research/reports/physical_environ.php]. A review of the literature revealed that operating costs are reduced in single-patient rooms compared with multioccupancy rooms due to reduction in transfer cost, higher bed occupancy rates, and reduction in labor cost. In addition, single rooms can positively impact patients' hospital experience through increased privacy, better interaction between family and staff, and reduced noise and anxiety. This pilot study focused on nurses' perception of the advantages and disadvantages of single-occupancy versus multioccupancy patient rooms in medical–surgical units in four hospitals in the northwest. A majority of respondents in the four hospitals favored single rooms over double-occupancy rooms for the majority of the 15 categories, including the following: appropriateness for patient examination, interaction with or accommodation of family members, and lower probability of dietary mix-ups. Future studies need to carefully examine the objective measures of patient care variables (e.g., incidents of medication errors, opportunities for surveillance), patient outcomes (e.g., recovery rate, falls), and implications of room occupancy on operating costs.

Section snippets

Background

Demographic changes in the United States, such as the aging of the baby-boom generation, increasing life expectancy, and continued immigration, could result in a 46% increase in bed demand in hospitals by 2027 (Solucient, 2003). An increasing number of patients attend hospitals with a higher level of acuity, requiring complex care. In addition, the continuous upgrading in medical technology has generated the need for built-in flexibility in the design of hospital facilities. A recent extensive

Key findings from the literature

The major issues of the literature were synthesized in three categories, and articles in each category were subdivided into empirical and nonempirical articles.2 The three categories are as follows:

  • 1.

    Cost issues of single-occupancy versus multioccupancy rooms

  • 2.

    Infection control

Method

Based on the above mentioned literature, a survey instrument was designed to collect data on patient care, management, and infection control issues from nursing staff. The research methodology was reviewed and approved by the authors' university Institutional Review Board and also by senior administrators at the hospital sites. This instrument was pilot tested with nursing staff members in four hospitals in the Pacific Northwest6

Comparison of single-occupancy versus double-occupancy rooms

In comparing single-occupancy versus double-occupancy rooms, it is evident that nurses clearly favor single-occupancy rooms, as demonstrated by data in Table 2.7 For instance, 84% of the respondents rated room flexibility as high or very high in single-occupancy rooms, whereas only 40% of

Conclusion

This project was a pilot study on nursing staff members' comparative assessment of patient care issues between single-occupancy and double-occupancy rooms. The findings need to be viewed within the context of the limited sample size of this pilot study (nursing staff, N = 77). In comparing single-occupancy versus double-occupancy rooms, it is evident that the nursing staff clearly favored single-occupancy rooms. Most of the participants responded more favorably for single rooms than for double

Acknowledgment

This article is based on a study funded by the Coalition for Health Environments Research and Facility Guidelines Institute.

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