520
Detailed Needs and Requirements: Psychiatric Unit
Each personal space should contain a daybed, a chair, individual
locked wardrobes for clothes and other possessions, together with
facilities for the placement of belongings such as radios, books, and
pictures, etc. Where doors are provided, they should open into the
patients' room with emergency provision for opening by the staff if
necessary.
Single rooms may be needed to help anxious patients achieve an
increase sense of security. They may also be needed for patients who
work outside the unit and need to return to a private space to offset the
effect of stressful social encounters during the day. Single rooms
should also be provided to accommodate the small number of female
patients.
Currently, patients who require general nursing care are normally
transferred to the appropriate medical unit. In the future, it may be
desirable for non-ambulant patients to be treated in the unit, in which
case, oxygen and suction may be required in the patients' rooms.
The degree of patient compatibility with regard to the physical
environment within the unit is established not only by the shape and
organization of the spaces but also by the lighting, color, acoustics,
ventilation and heating. With regard to patient areas, local lighting
should be under the patients' control and be bright or dim as required.
Subdued night lighting near the floor level is necessary for nocturnal
traffic without interfering with sleep.
2. Security Room
Some patients may require temporary seclusion during extremely
distressed states. At least one security room should be provided for
such use in each psychiatric unit. This room should be similar to a
normal 1-bed room; however, the finishes, equipment and furnishings
should be chosen to minimize the risk of self-injury during confinement.
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