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Hospital room design and health outcomes of the aging adult
Dissertation   Open access

Hospital room design and health outcomes of the aging adult

Susan Garzon Lorenz
Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.), Drexel University
May 2009
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/etd-3048
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Abstract

Hospital Rooms Design Health Outcomes Older People
INTRODUCTION: Since 2006, the American Institute of Architects has recommended that private rooms become the industry standard for all new construction of acute care hospitals. Healthcare design researchers contend that private rooms decrease infection, facilitate healthcare workers efficiency, provide space for families to stay and provide greater access to privacy. While links between room type and health outcomes have been described in the literature, the actual relationship between these two variables has not been determined nor is it clear whether a "one size fits all" approach to hospital design is appropriate for all patient populations. The purpose of this study is to determine the differences in the rate of falls and hospital acquired infections (HAI) in the hospitalized older adult for those admitted to private versus semi-private rooms and to explore whether being at risk for social isolation is a contributing factor to either event. METHODS: This retrospective case comparative design utilized a sample of patients admitted to the University Medical Center of Princeton in 2006. Patient records were randomly selected through the hospitals admission/discharge/transfer system. The records were then divided into two groups based on room type. Data collected included demographics, incidence of falls and HAI and risk for social isolation. RESULTS: All patients were over 65 years old and were admitted to the hospital for a variety of diagnoses. Length of stay was between 3 and 10 days. There was no significant difference between the type of room and the likelihood of falling. (p = .37). The relative risk of falling in a private room was 4.01 compared to being in a semi-private room, but there was no significant difference in the occurrence of HAI based on room type (p = 1.0). The risk of social isolation variable was unable to significantly affect which hospitalized older adults will suffer a negative outcome, fall or HAI, (p=0.52). CONCLUSION: Room type may play a role in the occurrence of falls in the hospitalized older adult, but room type in and of itself does not increase the chance of acquiring an infection while in the hospital. In addition, being at risk of social isolation does not affect the likelihood of having an adverse outcome; however the presence of risk for social isolation was 40% and needs to be further explored.

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