Original Research Article
Year: 2017 | Month: June | Volume: 7 | Issue: 6 | Pages: 40-48
Experiences of Swedish Patients being Cared for in Multiple-Bed Hospital Rooms
Krupic Ferid1,2, Sadic Sahmir3, Biscevic Mirza4, Samuelsson Kristian1,2, Fatahi Nabi5
1Department of Orthopaedics, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
2 Department of Orthopedics, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, 431 80 Mölndal, Sweden.
3Clinic for Orthopaedics and Traumatology, University Clinical Center Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
4Orthopaedic and Traumatology Clinic, University Clinical Center Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
5Institute of Health and Caring Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Corresponding Author: Krupic Ferid
ABSTRACT
Background: Most hospitals today are built to specific standards of light and appearance, sound, ambience, fresh air, greenery and nature, ergonomics and nutrition, with more multiple-bed rooms (MBR) than single-bed rooms (SBR) and between two and four patients in one rom. Long hospital corridors are painted in soft colors and decorated with art.
Aim: To illuminate and describe patients’ experiences of being hospitalized and cared for in a hospital with a multiple-bed hospital room design.
Material and Methods:Eight woman and seven men, undergoing treatment in multiple-bed hospital rooms, were interviewed in three focus group interviews (FGI). A qualitative, descriptive approach, incorporating a critical incident technique (CIT), was used.
Results: One theme: Treatment in a multiple-bed room, a complex issue and two categories were identified based on the participants’ interviews. The categories were: Positive and negative aspects of care in multiple-bed rooms. Sharing experiences with others, having the support of others and contact with health-care professionals were the aspects that participants described as positive. As negative aspects, the participants emphasized the following areas: needing a private area, needing confidentiality and privacy and experiences of noise and loud sounds. When treated and hospitalized in a multiple-bed hospital room, the majority of participants felt as though they were “in a vicious cycle”.
Conclusion: The findings of the present study may help health-care professionals to enhance the positive experiences of caring for patients in an MBR, to do more to reduce their negative experiences and help participants not to get into “a vicious cycle.” Health-care professionals must be more aware of and careful about the positive and negative experiences of providing care in an MBR and their effect on the participants.
Key words: multiple-bed hospital room, hospital environment, patients, experiences, qualitative approach