Shared or private patient rooms?
In which way have private and shared patient rooms in children hospitals influenced the health of the hospitalized child? Based on the three casestudies, the WKZ, the PMC and the UMC.
M.M.M. Gerrits (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
M.M. Teunissen – Mentor (TU Delft - Teachers of Practice / A)
More Info
expand_more
Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.
Abstract
This topic derives from my personal interest in the influence of hospital architecture on the health of patients. During my adolescent years, at the age of 17, I underwent diagnosis and treatment for Ewing Sarcoma at the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital (WKZ) in Utrecht. Throughout this period, my hospital stays were frequently in shared patient rooms within the WKZ. After finishing my treatment at the WKZ, I started going to the Prinses Maxima Centre (PMC) next to the WKZ for check-ups. There were a lot of notable differences between the WKZ and the PMC.
The primary distinction between the PMC and the WKZ was the reduced presence of patients in transit within public areas of the PMC. This might be, because of the segregation between the public and private spaces within the PMC. Furthermore, the absence of shared patient rooms is notable in the PMC. Every patient has his or her own room with a guest room included. It is interesting to investigate the influence of the patient room on the wellbeing of the patient, because a private patient room may have a different effect on children than on adults. Children undergoing illness may experience interruptions in the development of their social skills. While interactions with other sick children could potentially aid in coping with their condition, the provision of private rooms offers advantages in terms of promoting rest, hygiene, and privacy for these young patients.