title: A room of one's own--Being cared for in a hospital with a single-bed room design.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To illuminate patients' experiences of being hospitalised in a hospital with a single-bed room design.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Many patients seem to prefer single-bed hospital rooms. However, studies have also shown that patients do see the advantages of multiple-bed rooms.
  
  
  METHODS
  Interviews were conducted with 16 inpatients from a surgical ward in a hospital building with a single-bed room design. A hermeneutical-phenomenological approach guided by van Manen's four life-world existentials was used to analyse the interviews.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The essential meaning was that patients felt secure because they could create a personal environment without disruptive elements. The room was private, and this implied feelings of homeliness, which allowed patients to focus on themselves and was thought to facilitate the recovery process. The patients preferred staying in their room, and the relationship with the personnel was central. Feelings of loneliness and isolation could occur and could be frightening. Being hospitalised in a single-bed room meant balancing between feeling secure and feeling insecure. The following four themes emerged: A homely environment, The need for company and security, Time as unpredictable and involving waiting and Focus on healing the body.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients experienced that a single-bed room allowed them to focus on their recovery, have visitors without disturbing others and create a feeling of homeliness. However, mobilisation is not a natural part of the recovery process when patients have all they need in their rooms. The patients' need for social interaction and confirmation was not satisfied without effort and planning on the part of staff.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Persson
authors.affiliation: South Älvsborg Hospital, Borås, Sweden.
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Anderberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anna Kristensson
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Ekwall
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D066297:Hermeneutics; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology*; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008132:Loneliness; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D057240:Patient Preference; D010362:Patients' Rooms
keywords: hermeneutical-phenomenological; hospital environment; single-bed hospital rooms