Patients’ experiences of the transition to a 100% single-occupancy patient room hospital in the Netherlands

Objectives: Our study examines experiences of patients admitted to multibedded patient rooms in a former hospital building, compared to patients' experiences in single-occupancy patient rooms (SPRs) in a new hospital building, designed according to principles of a healing environment.

Background: To improve patients' privacy, comfort and infection control, newly built hospitals increasingly accommodate patients in SPRs.

Methods: In a single-center, before-after study, patients completed a questionnaire of 40 items in four domains: privacy, sanitary facilities, patient room and ward layout. This substudy was embedded within the WELCOME study.

Results: A total of 227 participants were involved in the before-measurement and 416 in the after-measurement. Patients considered the SPRs better in terms of privacy; more than 90% of participants (strongly) agreed with the privacy-related questionnaire items. Sanitary facilities, patient rooms and ward layout were also rated higher in the new hospital building. For most questionnaire items pertaining to these domains, more than 80% of patients in the new facility (strongly) agreed. 23.5% of respondents in the new building reported missing the companionship of fellow patients.

Conclusions: Patients rated the 100% single-occupancy ward configuration more favorably than the former multi-occupancy layout, with enhanced privacy emerging as an important advantage. However, this same privacy can leave some patients feeling isolated. Future studies should explore targeted interventions-such as structured social activities or volunteer-led engagement-to mitigate loneliness and promote mobilization, while preserving the established benefits of SPRs.