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A B.C. hospital is taking measures to help patients forced to spend time in hallways be a little more comfortable.
Peace Arch Hospital is now providing eye masks and earplugs to patients receiving care in hallways and other overflow spaces.
The pilot project was launched after a survey of 30 patients in hallways found their biggest complaints were noise, bright lights and cold temperatures.
The doctor behind the initiative acknowledges that hallway medicine is not ideal for any patients, but says it is the reality for many in B.C.’s health-care system.
“Ideally, yes, you don’t want to have hallway beds. But that’s not within my power,” Dr. Amir Behboudi, a Peace Arch Hospital Emergency Department physician, said.
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“Within my power is what can I do to make the patient stay a little more comfortable.”
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Behboudi said that sleep is so important for healing.
“We know that when people sleep, their pain threshold gets better,” he added. “It means they require less pain medication and there’s less side effects.”
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The project is supported by the Peace Arch Hospital Foundation.
It comes as overcrowding continues to strain hospitals across the province, with opposition politicians concerned about the reliance on hallway care.
Fraser Health says it is now looking at whether similar measures could be used at hospitals in the region.
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