Design for Patient Dignity - Modular Bed Pod - Nightingale Associates / Billings Jackson Design

Design for Patient Dignity - Brief 7/7




Open brief: Address wider issues of patient dignity and enable NHS Trusts to rethink the way that space is used in wards.

This prefabricated modular bed system with its modesty screens, improved acoustics and lighting and additional storage, gives patients more control over their environment. It could be rapidly installed in hospitals, enabling them to quickly convert under-used space into single bed spaces without the need for major refurbishment.

How it works

As well as an outer shell, the Bed Pod features an individual modesty screen, which the patient can control for increased privacy.

The structure also has a curved, perforated metal bed head and ceiling canopy which redirects sound waves down on to the bed rather than across the room, so that the volume of conversations between clinician and patient could be reduced by as much as 20db.

It also incorporates different lighting modes — there is ambient lighting behind the bed head, using the curved panel to distribute the light evenly around the bed space. Low-level LED lighting gives patients enough light to safely navigate around the ward at night, when general lighting levels are reduced to promote sleep.

The Bed Pod also incorporates medical gases, power supplies, bedside grab rails and mountings for entertainment systems. High-level storage utilises previously unused space and a fold-down chair or bed for visitors can be incorporated. Also, the materials used have been chosen to make cleaning easier.


The issue in context

Hospital estates teams trying to reorganise ward layouts to improve patient environments, or increase the number of beds available, often have to undertake major refurbishment projects, entailing significant capital investment and major disruption. When wards are closed, bed spaces are lost — for a standard 30 bed ward this could mean up to 9,500 bed days in a 40 week period.

Patients in the hospital environment often say they dont feel in control of their environment, whether thats because they cant turn the lights on or off when they want to, or because the acoustics on the ward mean everyone can hear their conversations. And for hospital staff, space constraints can mean that bed areas are cluttered and difficult to work in.


The designers insights

We realised that if the necessary components which make up a complete bed environment, from medical gases and drip rails to lighting and a bedside locker, could be integrated into one product the procurement and installation could be substantially simplified, explains Caroline Paradise, Design Research Coordinator at Nightingale Associates. The design team discussed elements of their concept with estates management teams and nursing staff, getting feedback and developing their design. They also worked with a microbiologist to better understand how their choice of materials could improve infection control and cleanability.

http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/dignity

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Design
• Nightingale Associates
• Billings Jackson Design
• Design Council
• Design for Patient Dignity
• Product design