Patients' opinions and experiences regarding the hospital bed and the bedside equipment: an interview study

Authors: Petzäll, Kerstin¹; Berglund, Barbro²; Lundberg, Christer¹

Source: Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, Volume 15, Number 1, March 2001 , pp. 106-112(7)

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Abstract:

Scand J Caring Sci; 2001; 15; 106-112

Patients' opinions and experiences regarding the hospital bed and the bedside equipment: an interview study

As it is important for patients' recovery that hospital beds are comfortabke and adapted to patients' needs, 60 adult patients were interviewd during their stay in hospital about the experiences and opinions regarding the hospitals beds, bedside equipment and the general milieu in the ward. The patients were recruited from one ear, nose and throat, one general surgery and one internal medicine ward respectively, at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Göteborg. A standardized questionnaire containing both open and closed questions concerning bed function and bed comfort was designed and used. The study revealed substantial and serious dissatisfaction among the patients regarding the comfort of beds, bedside equipment and the physical milieu in the wards. Younger patients were more critical than elderly patients. The patients had many relevant suggestions on how to improve the conditions in the wards with respect to the needs they themselves had experienced as patients.

Keywords: Hospital beds; equipment; furniture; patients' experiences; questionnaire

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1471-6712.2001.1510106.x

Affiliations: 1: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sweden 2: Department of Nursing, Göteborg University, Sweden

Publication date: 2001-03-01