Private (single-family) rooms allow improved ability to provide individualized and private environments for each baby and family when compared to multi-patient rooms. In order to provide adequate space at the bedside for both caregivers and families, however, these rooms need to be somewhat larger than an infant space in an open multi-bed room design, and they must have additional bedside storage and communication capabilities in order to avoid isolation or excessive walking of caregivers.
Although desirable, it may not be possible to provide a window for each room due to a finite amount of outside wall area. It is most important to utilize the available window area first for the gathering spaces used by family and caregivers, and then secondarily for patient rooms. |