When it comes to choosing blinds for the home there is a range of factors that you are likely to consider such as the style, colour and ease of operation. Choosing blinds for a hospital or healthcare setting is no different and if anything is more complex as a range of different factors must be examined. This article shall explore some of the considerations that should be devoted sometime when choosing blinds for hospitals and healthcare buildings.
Balancing Privacy and Observation Needs
Hospitals and healthcare establishments have to balance both the privacy needs of patients and observation needs. When considering what style of blind to choose healthcare professionals should try to strike a balance between both of these patient needs so as not to compromise patient care. For example, a patient may appreciate a blackout blind in their personal room whereas this would not be appropriate within a doctor’s office and a shutter-style blind may be more appropriate. This style of blind could be adjusted to provide a good level of privacy while allowing some sunlight to still enter the room.
Hygiene, infection control Compliance and Cleaning
Healthcare settings strive to be sterile environments that promote patient recuperation and limit the spread of infection, therefore, blinds must conform to these high standards. A few key questions to consider is how easy will the blind be to keep clean as part of the infection control and hygeine strategy? If the blinds can be cleaned, how frequent will cleaning cycles be and what will be the financial cost of this? A further question that should be asked regarding the topic of hygiene is does the blind make it more difficult to clean the window itself and the surrounding wall area?
For example, integral blinds are an excellent option for healthcare settings to consider as they assist in maintaining this high level of hygiene as they do not gather any dust or dirt due to the integral blind slats, header and footer rails being permanently fitted within the glass unit. As well as not requiring any cleaning, integral blinds also do not clutter window sills and therefore allow individuals to make use of the space how they see best.
Safety
A further important consideration is the safety of patients in the operation of blinds. While many styles of blinds feature external cords for operating and this may be fine for a healthcare office environment, it would not be an appropriate choice for a healthcare setting with patients.
Integral blinds, for example, are a suitable option to consider for keeping vulnerable patients safe as they will not pose a risk to those who may look for an opportunity to self-harm as the blinds are built within double-glazed glass. Cordless operation is also available using remote-controlled blinds providing a safer alternative to a cord and this would be suitable for use within a healthcare environment that children and babies frequent.
Fire Resistance
Any blinds that are installed must also be consistent with the fire safety specification. So, it is important to ensure that the materials used along with the design do not present additional risks in the event of a fire.
