Privacy Screens or Hospital Curtains? Make The Right Choice!

The importance on making the right choice!

Every patient deserves to feel they have a level of privacy and confidentiality when in a hospital or care environment, Privacy Screens are the answer to protect their dignity. However, there are also a number of other reasons why we feel Privacy Screens are more beneficial than Hospital Curtains, and we will go over these reasons today!

Hygiene:

Privacy Screens offer a far superior level of disinfection and hygiene control. If you think of a hospital curtain, they are constantly being brushed past by all areas of the body by patients, staff and visitors. It is also not always clear where the entry point is, so they are often touched all over. The loose, foldable material means it is virtually impossible to be regularly disinfected and cleaned to a high standard.

Privacy Screens only require to be touched at the end point to pull or push open and closed, or also on the handles if a mobile screen is being used. The hard surface on Privacy Screens means it is much easier to disinfect the entire screen regularly and quickly. In an infection outbreak, Privacy Screens are easily cleaned on site and can also be used to help decrease the spread by keeping them closed and creating barriers. Hospital Curtains on the other hand would need to be removed completely and either sent off to be cleaned or disposed of and new ones being brought in. This increases the risk of infection spread, increases costs, and increases staff time being used on this project compared to the time it would take to get the same level of end results in Privacy Screens.

Wear and Tear:

Overtime, the fabric in hospital curtains can stain, become frayed and even tear. When this happens the entire curtain must be replaced. Privacy Screens are much more robust, and will last many years. If there are any issues, individual panels can easily be replaced, rather than the entire screen having to be replaced. We also offer service contracts on your screens to ensure they are regularly being inspected and kept up to a high standard.

Visual:

Privacy Screens essentially become an extra wall. They can be extended and maneuvered to whatever length you need, as well as being curved around if needed. When closed over, if someone needs to enter you can simply push back some panels and pull closed when in like you would with a door, without affecting the placement of the middle or opposite end screen. With Hospital Curtains, when people enter , often gaps are left at the entry point as care needs to be taken to pull it fully back over. Movement on one side of the curtain can cause a ripple effect and move the placement on the opposite side causing a gap. With the fast paced nature of a hospital or care environment it is important to have a quick easy solution to privacy rather than one which will mean fiddling and taking extra steps to ensure privacy.

Audible

Hospital curtains are designed as a lightweight visual barrier and as such are not designed with audio barriers in mind. From conversations between patients and medical staff to the audible bodily functions of someone unwell, this lack of privacy causes embarrassment and discomfort on both sides of the curtain.

The hard material that Privacy Screens are made from means that sound will bounce back from them rather than pass through, and less sound will be heard from the other side of the screen. This can help put the patient at ease.

Conclusion

Privacy Screens are the best overall solution to patient privacy in an open environment. We offer a range of both wall mounted and mobile Privacy Screens , as well as offering delivery, installation, servicing and repairs. Get in touch with our team today to find out more information. (01) 4433 390 / info@caretua.com