Chicago Hospitals Add Private Rooms
The Chicago Tribune reports expansion and renovation plans by Northwest Community Hospital and St. Alexius Medical Center that will focus on adding private rooms, a significant component of the current hospital construction boom. The wave of hospitals built in the fifties offered at best two-bed rooms but patient expectations have shifted. Besides better comfort and privacy, having your own room offers health benefits too since it reduces exposure to the condition of other patients.
This move to private rooms would let hospitals increase room and bathroom size and would likely come with a reduction in the total number of beds. It would also reduce the number of semi-oxymoronic “semi-private rooms.”
January 17, 2006 Related topics: Facilities, Trends, Hygiene & Cleanliness