The hospital room may be due for a checkup.
医院病房或许该做一次检查了。
Doctors and nurses, architects and designers all say the room setting has an important but largely neglected role to play in the delivery of quality care and outcomes.
医生和护士、建筑师和设计师都说,病房环境对于优质护理与优质诊疗结果的达成发挥着重要的作用,然而这种作用基本上都是被忽略了的。
Consider infections. One out of every 20 patients admitted to a hospital picks up an infection while there, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These infections can be serious and deadly, and they cost the U.S. $10 billion a year.
以感染为例。据美国疾病控制与预防中心(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)数据,在美国,每20个入院病人就有一人在住院期间感染某种疾病。这些疾病有可能是严重而致命的,每年为此付出的代价高达100亿美元。
But recent studies indicate that at least half can be avoided. And the design of patient rooms is one of the best places to start.
但近期研究表明,至少一半的感染是可以避免的。病房的设计是最佳切入点之一。
The hospital room has changed little since the post-World War II years, when there was a shift to semiprivate rooms from wards. But even then, the patient wasn't central to the plan. Now, the patient room of the future is being designed as a safe, private, comfortable place conducive to healing.
二战之后的那些年里,多人共用的大病房被陆续改为二到四人共用的半私密病房,之后基本上就没有变化。然而即便在当时,病房的改造也不是围绕病人而展开的。如今,未来的病房正在被设计成一个安全、私密、舒适、有利于康复的地方。
'With all the knowledge we've gained,' says Douglas Wood, director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation, 'we can increasingly create an environment in the hospital to minimize the transmission of bacteria, increase the circulation of air, and reduce pain, discomfort and poor clinical outcomes.'
梅奥诊所(Mayo Clinic)创新研究中心主任道格拉斯・伍德(Douglas Wood)说:“利用我们已经获知的各种知识,我们越来越有能力在医院里面打造一种最大化降低细菌传播,增加空气循环,减少疼痛、不适和劣质诊疗结果的环境。”
Hospital officials from across the U.S. and abroad have traveled to New York to see the prototype patient room shown here. Designed by NXT Health, a nonprofit in New York, and funded by the Department of Defense, the room is designed to reduce infections, falls, errors -- and ultimately costs. Here's a look at how it would do so.
全美各地以及美国国外都有医院管理人员前往纽约参观本文所示的这间样板病房。这间病房由纽约非营利组织NXT Health设计、美国国防部资助,其出发点是减少感染、摔倒和差错――最终就是减少要付出的代价。让我们大概了解一下它是怎样实现这些目标的。
1. Patient Ribbon
1•“病人环带”
The canopy above the bed, the patient ribbon, extends from the head wall to the footwall. It contains electrical, technological and gas components normally found in any hospital room. It also includes a sound system that can create a cocoon above the patient's head to block out unwanted noise and minimize the transmission of noise to other areas of the room.
病床上方的顶盖“病人环带”(Patient Ribbon)从床头墙一直延伸到床尾墙,包含普通病房里面一般都有的电子、技术及气体设备。它还有一个声音系统,可以在病人头部上方形成一个“茧”,一方面屏蔽掉恼人的噪音,另一方面也最大化地降低传到病房其他区域的噪音。
2. Halo Lightbox
2. 晕轮灯箱
The halo lightbox in the patient ribbon above the bed can be programmed for mood or light therapy, and can simulate cloud movements, blue skies and other lighting conditions.
镶嵌在病床上方病人环带里的晕轮灯箱可以通过编程打造特定氛围或用于灯光理疗,也可以模拟浮云、蓝天和其他一些光线环境。
3. Head Wall
3. 床头墙
The head wall contains the equipment needed to check vital signs (heartbeat, breathing rate, temperature and blood pressure), as well as oxygen and other supplies, all stowed neatly out of sight but easily accessible through pull-down panels in the wall.
床头墙包含一台用于检查关键指标(心跳、呼吸频率、体温和血压)的设备,以及氧气和其他物资供给设备。这一切都整齐地收纳起来不会被看到,但可以通过床头墙内的下拉式面板轻松调用。
4. Footwall
4. 床尾墙
The footwall contains a large screen that can be used for entertainment, video consultations with doctors, and access to hospital information, educational content and social-media sites. It's controlled from the bed by a tablet computer that allows the patient to adjust lighting, sound, and temperature.
床尾墙包含一个大屏幕,可以用于娱乐、通过视频咨询医生,也可以用来访问医院信息、教育内容和社交网站。病人在病床上通过一台平板电脑来对其进行控制。这台电脑还允许病人调节光线、声音和温度。
5. Rubber Floors
5. 橡胶地板
The floors are made of low-porosity rubber, which doesn't contain or need chemical sealers or waxes that often trap bacteria and other substances that can cause infections and allergic reaction. Rubber is quieter, softer and less slippery than other traditional floor materials. In case of a fall, it reduces impact.
地面由细孔橡胶铺成,不包含也不需要化学密封材料或蜡油,因为这些东西常常会藏纳细菌等物质,可能引起感染和过敏反应。橡胶比其他传统地面材料要安静、柔软、防滑。在发生摔倒的情况下,还可以减轻冲击。
6. Room Surfaces
6. 室内表面
All surfaces in the room other than the floor are made of Corian or similar solid-surface materials commonly found in homes as kitchen countertops. The material is nonporous and seamless, making it easy to clean and minimizing the chances for mold, mildew or bacteria to grow. That all reduces the risk of infection.
室内除了地面以外的其他表面都采用可丽耐人造石(Corian)和其他常用作住宅厨房台面的硬表面材料。这些材料无孔无缝,容易清洁,并将发霉、生长细菌的概率最小化。这些都会降低感染风险。
7. Entry Workstation
7. 入口工作站
The workstation is located at the entrance to the patient room. As a staff member or other person enters, the sink lights up in red to indicate that hands should be washed. When hands are disinfected, a green light blinks. A dashboard in the wall stores a computer, where information on the patient can be found and entered.
这个工作站位于病房入口。当医院人员或其他人员进入的时候,洗手台就会亮起红灯,表示需要洗手。双手消完毒之后,就会有绿灯闪烁。墙面上的一个仪表板放了一台电脑,可以查阅、录入病人的资料。
8. Bedside Caregiver Hub
8. 床边护理中心
At the bedside caregiver hub, a wall panel holds another computer. Other technology is embedded in the wall, and when the panel is closed, ultraviolet light kills bacteria that might have formed on surfaces. The computer keyboard, like all others in the room, is a flat, nonporous typing surface that's easy and quick to clean, unlike conventional keyboards, which can harbor bacteria.
床边护理中心的一个墙面面板容纳了另外一台电脑。墙面还植入了其他一些技术,当面板关闭的时候,就会有紫外线杀灭各处表面上可能已经形成的细菌。电脑键盘和病房内的其他所有键盘一样,都是一个平坦无孔的输入表面,清洁起来方便快捷,不像常规键盘那样可能会藏纳细菌。
9. Patient Companion
9. 病人伴侣
The mobile patient companion contains both an eating surface and a flat computer when flipped over. Operated by touch, the computer controls the screen on the footwall and the light and sound in the patient area. The surface has colored rings to indicate when power is low and icons to touch to call for help.
移动式病人伴侣包含一个就餐平面,翻过来就是一台平板电脑。电脑为触控式,控制着床尾墙面上的屏幕和病人区域的光线、声音。就餐平面上有表示何时电量不足的彩色圆圈,以及通过触摸寻求帮助的图标。