Multioccupancy hospital rooms: veterans' experiences and preferences

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Quality
• Patient Experience
• Hospital Design

Background:

• Multioccupancy hospital rooms raise concerns regarding patient safety and privacy.
• A 2006 recommendation suggested eliminating multioccupancy rooms despite limited evidence.
• Patient perspectives are crucial for informing hospital room policies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate patient experiences and preferences concerning hospital room types.
• To provide evidence for public policy decisions regarding hospital room configurations.

Main Methods:

• An anonymous written survey was administered to medical service inpatients upon discharge.
• The survey assessed patient-reported privacy, nursing availability, loneliness, fear of death, roommate interactions, and room preferences.
• Data were collected from 162 patients at the Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Main Results:

• Private room patients reported significantly higher levels of adequate privacy (92% vs. 53%) and nursing availability (79% vs. 64%) compared to shared room patients.
• No significant differences were observed in reported loneliness or fear of death between room types.
• A strong overall preference for private rooms (79%) was noted, primarily for privacy, while shared room preference was linked to conversation (59%) and assistance (35%).

Conclusions:

• Patients perceive inadequate privacy in shared hospital rooms, leading to a strong preference for private accommodations.
• Positive aspects of shared rooms include social interaction and mutual assistance among patients.
• Findings support the need to consider patient preferences and privacy in hospital room design and policy.