Medical screens are quite ubiquitous in hospitals. This is primarily due to their incredible utility in healthcare, first to provide privacy and maintain the dignity of the clients, and second, to keep the healthcare providers safe from cross-infection or contamination. These screens are used in virtually every place of the hospital, from the wards to the intensive care units, to the accidents and emergency departments as well as in treatment rooms and hospital theatres. In this article, we will provide some of the key highlights about privacy screens for hospitals and juxtapose their utility with the current trends in healthcare, particularly the COVID 19 pandemic.
What are these privacy screens?
Privacy screens, also called medical dividers, are essentially a form of private shield and protective barrier that have been designed to either shield healthcare providers from possible infection, or to create privacy between patients and other people in the hospital who are not directly involved in their care.
These medical equipment have been incredibly useful in the past two years because of the increased sensitization on infectious diseases such as the COVID 19 that caused a global pandemic. Privacy screens are usually manufactured using top quality acrylic or aluminum panels. The materials used to make the privacy screens are specifically chosen for the hospital. Some of their characteristics are that they are easy to clean and sanitize.
Privacy screens are considered better than the typical fabrics or curtains in several ways. Although the curtains and fabrics are usually made with antimicrobial properties, these properties usually deteriorate with time. Thus, the privacy screens become the much needed go-to for long term use because they can be easily cleaned and easily sanitized.
Hospital privacy curtains installation services can install both transparent and opaque screens depending on need. The opaque screens are the go-to for privacy such as during the performance of bedside procedures or in accident and emergency departments. The transparent screens are mainly for protective purposes such as when collecting blood samples or administering a vaccination.
Privacy screens in the setting of COVID 19
Privacy curtains have become particularly popular in recent years due to the COVID 19 pandemic. Since the beginning of the pandemic in 2019, people in the healthcare environment have become increasingly conscious about infectious diseases and have revamped protective measures such as the installation of shields, curtains, and screens.
The pandemic has increased the popularity of screens such as vaccination screens, and medical booths. These types of screens are designed for hospital privacy curtains installation primarily for protection against coming into contact with infectious agents from the person attending to you or the person being attended to.
The pandemic also saw the conversion of theatres and halls to hospital. This was possible due to the contribution of privacy screens on wheels which are quite maneuverable.
Conclusion
Privacy screens have incredible utility in healthcare. Their need cannot be underestimated because they guarantee patients one of their fundamental rights – the right to privacy, which is particularly important in healthcare.