Safe haven: transforming relatives' rooms.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Design
• Patient and Family Support
• Hospital Environment Studies

Background:

• The quality of facilities for hospital patient relatives and carers is often overlooked, especially during difficult news delivery.
• Supportive environments for families are crucial for patient care and well-being.
• Previous research indicates a gap in attention to the physical spaces provided for patient support networks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline a project focused on improving the environment of relatives' rooms within a hospital trust.
• To implement an evidence-based, design-led strategy for refurbishing these critical spaces.
• To establish a trust-wide standard for relatives' rooms based on feedback and healing environment principles.

Main Methods:

• An evidence-based, design-led approach was employed for the refurbishment.
• Standard hospital materials and suppliers were utilized to ensure feasibility and scalability.
• Audit and feedback from both relatives and hospital staff informed the design and implementation process.
• Literature review on enhancing healing environments guided the development of new standards.

Main Results:

• Refurbishment of relatives' rooms was successfully completed using practical, readily available resources.
• Feedback mechanisms involving relatives and staff provided valuable insights for iterative improvement.
• A comprehensive trust-wide standard for relatives' rooms was formulated.
• The project demonstrated a tangible improvement in the hospital environment for patient families.

Conclusions:

• Improving relatives' rooms is a feasible and impactful initiative within healthcare settings.
• An evidence-based, design-led approach, incorporating user feedback, is effective for enhancing hospital facilities.
• Establishing clear standards for relatives' rooms contributes to a more supportive and healing hospital environment for families and carers.