Patient Safety: What Enhances Patient Visibility?

A recent study found a surprising answer. In an ideal world, a nurse could turn around 360 degrees in one location and see all his or her assigned patients. That was true to an extent in the Nightingale ward layout, which is still prevalent in many countries around the world. In other western countries, the ward concept has long been replaced by patient rooms that are occupied by one, two, or four patients. In the United States, single-patient rooms have become the industry norm. As the occupants of the patient room have decreased, the issue of patient visibility has grown.