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AIA: Private hospital rooms new gold standard

Healthcare Strategist Trend Watch, July 21, 2006

Shared hospital rooms contribute to medical errors, higher infection rates, privacy violations, and can add to patients' stress. Private rooms, on the other hand, make it easier for staff to observe HIPAA privacy rules and, since patients prefer them, can lead to increased patient satisfaction. Now there's one more benefit to add to the list: Endorsement by the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The group has updated its Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities to call for single-patient rooms in medical/surgical and postpartum units in all newly constructed hospitals.

"These Guidelines are focused on patient safety," said Joseph G. Sprague, chairman of the committee that worked to revise the guidelines. "Our thorough review concluded that private rooms lead to considerably less potential for disease transmission, greatly reduce medical errors, help prevent falls, and certainly allow for patients to sleep better. Patients will not only heal better, but they won't end up spending as much time in the hospital."

This is the first such recommendation since these guidelines were originally published by the federal government in 1947. Updated every four years by a committee that includes doctors, nurses, facility managers, architects, and engineers, the guidelines are currently used by more than forty state governments to regulate hospital licensing and construction.

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