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Visitors’ use of corridors in internal medicine wards

Visitors’ use of corridors in internal medicine wards This paper aims to analyze visitors’ waiting behavior in corridors of an internal medicine ward in relation to concepts of territoriality and privacy.Design/methodology/approachWaiting activities, visitors’ room numbers and duration of activities were recorded on a floor plan. Results were tallied according to behavioral and architectural zones in which the activity took place.FindingsLocations that are near patient rooms that provide visual and auditory access are largely used as territorial areas for non-privacy-required activities. Ends of corridors, secondary corridors and staircases were mainly used for activities that required some level of privacy such as grieving.Research limitations/implicationsAs is true with post-occupancy evaluations in other single buildings, this research may not be generalizable to all internal medicine wards. Future research could measure whether responding to visitors’ spatial needs could result in lower density and sense of crowding in the corridors, as well as reduce stress and task interruptions and increase efficiency of patient-check rounds.Practical implicationsThe findings indicate that internal medicine wards should include waiting areas near the patient rooms for visitors to be able to keep visual and auditory connection with their patients, as well as areas that provide privacy. This may help lower density, sense of crowding, distraction of medical staff, stress and burn-out and errors, as well as increase the efficiency of patient checks.Originality/valueThe ways in which architectural design of internal medicine corridors can support visitors’ activities and environmental needs such as territoriality and privacy is an issue that is rarely examined. This paper also adds an example from a non-Western culture, to a literature that is dominated by examples from Western cultures. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Facilities Emerald Publishing

Visitors’ use of corridors in internal medicine wards

Facilities , Volume 37 (5/6): 17 – Mar 8, 2019

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References (66)

Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
© Emerald Publishing Limited
ISSN
0263-2772
DOI
10.1108/f-01-2018-0024
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze visitors’ waiting behavior in corridors of an internal medicine ward in relation to concepts of territoriality and privacy.Design/methodology/approachWaiting activities, visitors’ room numbers and duration of activities were recorded on a floor plan. Results were tallied according to behavioral and architectural zones in which the activity took place.FindingsLocations that are near patient rooms that provide visual and auditory access are largely used as territorial areas for non-privacy-required activities. Ends of corridors, secondary corridors and staircases were mainly used for activities that required some level of privacy such as grieving.Research limitations/implicationsAs is true with post-occupancy evaluations in other single buildings, this research may not be generalizable to all internal medicine wards. Future research could measure whether responding to visitors’ spatial needs could result in lower density and sense of crowding in the corridors, as well as reduce stress and task interruptions and increase efficiency of patient-check rounds.Practical implicationsThe findings indicate that internal medicine wards should include waiting areas near the patient rooms for visitors to be able to keep visual and auditory connection with their patients, as well as areas that provide privacy. This may help lower density, sense of crowding, distraction of medical staff, stress and burn-out and errors, as well as increase the efficiency of patient checks.Originality/valueThe ways in which architectural design of internal medicine corridors can support visitors’ activities and environmental needs such as territoriality and privacy is an issue that is rarely examined. This paper also adds an example from a non-Western culture, to a literature that is dominated by examples from Western cultures.

Journal

FacilitiesEmerald Publishing

Published: Mar 8, 2019

Keywords: Healthcare; Privacy; Post occupancy evaluation

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