Open AccessDo Patients Really Mind Mixed Sex Bays in an Emergency Assessment Unit?
Author(s) -
Hayley K Bonner,
Steven J Frost,
Martin Smith,
E. Williams
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
acute medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1747-4892
pISSN - 1747-4884
DOI - 10.52964/amja.0250
Subject(s) - accommodation , medicine , feeling , unit (ring theory) , ideal (ethics) , emergency department , medical emergency , social psychology , nursing , psychology , mathematics education , neuroscience , philosophy , epistemology
Mixed sex bays are a reality on most Emergency Assessment Units (EAU). However, they are controversial having recently been the focus of political and media attention. We adapted a validated patient satisfaction questionnaire to seek the views of 1000 emergency admissions regarding mixed sex accommodation. Of 1000 respondents, 925 (92%) had been in bays and 665 (66%) shared with the opposite sex. Most 579/665 (87%) were comfortable with this, 97% (966/1000) feeling there was sufficient level of privacy, all (1000/1000) felt they were given privacy when needed. When asked ‘‘given the nature and function of EAU would you be willing to share with the opposite sex if it meant a shorter stay?’’, 857 (86%) said yes. Our study demonstrates that whilst single sex accommodation is ideal it is not the most important factor to most patients admitted to EAU.