GB2377886A

GB2377886A - Hospital bed screen

Info

Publication number: GB2377886A
Application number: GB0118046A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Alison Murchie
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-07-25
Filing date: 2001-07-25
Publication date: 2003-01-29
Also published as: GB0118046D0

Abstract

A hospital bed screen comprises a continuous length of smooth-faced plastics material 102 divided into panels 101 by flexible regions and folded concertina fashion, a plurality of wheeled supports 107 attached to the bottom of at least a proportion of the panels, and means 103, 104 for attaching an end panel to a wall. The plastics material, which may be pvc, encapsulates a series of rigid panels of hardboard or plywood.

Description

HOSPITAL BED SCREEN The present invention relates to hospital bed screens Sometimes to provide privacy for hospital patients it is necessary to screen hospital beds from view At present this is done in two ways. Firstly, by means of curtains which are attached to runners which operate in tracks, which normally are suspended from the ceiling of the room in which the bed space concerned is situated Alternatively, portable folding screens are used which are moved from bed to bed as required Neither of the above is entirely satisfactory, particularly in intensive care units where infection control is of paramount importance Conventional hospital bed curtains are made of woven materials which harbour organisms and dust in their weave and folds.

The runners to which they are attached also have surfaces and crevices which provide sites for the collection of dust and organisms Neither the curtains nor their runners can be cleaned satisfactorily in situ but have to be removed, washed or dry cleaned and replaced, operations which are time-consuming, expensive and hence rarely undertaken Other disadvantages of conventional hospital bed curtains are that when they are closed, monitor screens may be obscured, privacy is compromised because little or no warning is given before a person enters the curtained space and because the curtains hang from runners which engage with tracks, there is no flexibility in the area they enclose Portable folding screens also have many disadvantages; their movement from bed space to bed space can be an agent for cross-infection The restricted length and separate hinged frames of each panel of existing portable screens means that, even if more than one screen is used (thereby increasing the risk of cross-infection), total privacy for a patient is not ensured Also existing free-standing screens tend to be unstable unless wide feet are used, which then creates a tripping hazard.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved hospital bed screen.

According to the present invention there is provided a folding screen for use as a hospital bed screen, comprising a continuous length of smooth-faced plastics material divided into panels by flexible regions and folded concertina fashion, a plurality of wheeled supports attached to the bottom of at least a proportion of the panels of plastics material and means for attaching an end panel of the screen to a wall Preferably, there are two such screens adapted to be associated with each bed space of a hospital ward and the free end of each screen is adapted to engage with the free end of the other screen to provide an enclosed space surrounding the bed space Preferably the height of the screen is such that wall mounted monitor screens are visible to staff both within and without the enclosed space.

In practice if beds are adjacent, then one screen may be common to two beds The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a pictorial view of a hospital bed screen embodying the invention, and Figure 2 is a plan view of the embodiment of the invention in use, and Figure 3 is a plan view of the screen in a stored position Referring to Figure 1, a hospital bed screen 100 embodying the invention consists of a series of rigid panels 101 which may, for example be made of hardboard or plywood which is encapsulated between two lengths 102 of a smooth surfaced plastics flexible material such as polyvinyl chloride The regions 102 between each panel 101 act as a series of hinges At one end of the screen 100 are two hinge pintles 103 which engage with eyes 104, which have mounting plates 105 by means of which they can be attached to a wall, not shown in the drawing Alternatively, the pintles can be mounted on the wall plates and the eyes can be attached to the screen 100. At the other end of the screen 100 there is a lip 106 which can be engaged with a corresponding lip on another screen to link them together positively. At the bottom of

each panel 102 of the screen 100 there is a support foot 107 which has two castors 108. As the screen 100 is positively located at one end, the support feet 107 can be shorter than those necessary with free-standing portable screens and so present less of a tripping hazard than of the feet of conventional portable screens. The screen 100 is of a height such that when it is in position any wall mounted monitor screens which are within the space enclosed when two screens 100 are in place remain visible to staff both within and without the enclosed space. The flat, smooth surfaces of the panels 10 1 of the screen 100 facilitate the cleaning of the screen 100, so assisting the maintenance of an aseptic state. Also, far less air disturbance is caused when the screen 100 is extended than is the case with conventional bed curtains, again assisting with infection control.

Figure 2 shows two screens 100 in place around a bed 201. The positive engagement of the two screens 100 ensures complete privacy for a patient and staff within the enclosed space 202. Any person wishing to gain entry to the enclosed space 202 can give warning of their presence by tapping on one of the panels 101 of the screens 100 before disengaging them.

It is apparent that if there is more than one bed in a room, any given screen 100 can be common to two adjacent bed spaces. Also, the absence of any track, above or below, the screens 100 give flexibility in their positioning. Fox example, two screens from opposite bed spaces could be extended transversely of a ward and interlocked to divide off a portion of the ward. Also, the absence of tracks reduces the number of sites for dust and/or dirt to accumulate, again assisting infection control.

Figure 3 shows the two screens 100 associated with the bed space 202 folded back against the wall, exposing the bed 201 completely.

Claims

CLAIMS I A folding screen for use as a hospital bed screen, comprising a continuous length of smooth-faced plastics material divided into panels by flexible regions and folded concertina fashion, a plurality of wheeled supports attached to the bottom of at least a proportion of the panels of plastics material and hinged means for attaching an end panel of the screen to a wall.
2 A folding screen according to Claim 1 wherein the other end panel of the screen includes means for engaging with a similar end panel of another screen 3 A folding screen according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 comprising a plurality of panels of a rigid material encapsulated in a flexible plastics material the plastics material between the panels of rigid material constituting the said flexible regions 4. A folding screen according to any of Claims 1 to 3 wherein the wheels of the wheeled supports are capable of rotation about a vertical axis 5. A folding screen according to any preceding claim wherein the plastics material is polyvinyl chloride 6 A folding screen suitable for use as a hospital bed screen substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to the accompanying drawings.