• Jon C Olsen, Brian Cutcliffe, and Bridget C O'Brien.
• Department of Emergency Medicine, Lutheran General Hospital, Park Ridge, Illinois 60098, USA.
• J Emerg Med. 2008 Oct 1;35(3):317-20.

AbstractThe study objective was to determine if Emergency Department (ED) patients experience fewer breaches of privacy and confidentiality in a larger, renovated ED compared to a similar patient population before renovation. We surveyed a convenience sample of patients regarding their privacy and confidentiality at the conclusion of their ED stay. In the post-renovation ED, 14% of patients overheard conversations about themselves or other patients, compared to 36% of patients in the ED before renovation. This was likely a result of both an increase in the department size (564 square feet per treatment space post-renovation vs. 375 square feet per treatment space pre-renovation) and the elimination of rooms separated only by curtains. Issues of privacy and confidentiality should be taken into consideration in the design of new departments and those to be renovated.

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