For the last 100 years, cubicle curtains have changed the face of the healthcare environment and caused healthcare facilities to struggle over having the right cubicle curtain in the right place. What if there was a way to have one curtain size to solve all the facility’s issues? How to accomplish that goal has become a big question.
The history of the cubicle curtain may help the healthcare professional determine their direction and scope of not only the cubicle curtains but patient privacy and protection.
Hospital Cubicle Curtains from the 1950s
The 1950s were a time of practicality and functionality over design or aesthetics. Hospital cubicle curtains of this period were providing privacy for those patients in semi-private rooms and wards. The cubicles lacked any sense of style or fashion. They were simply pieces of fabric that were placed around rooms to create a semblance of privacy and to protect one’s sense of dignity.
Viewed as a necessity, rather than as an active participant in keeping patients comfortable or safe from bacteria, hospital cubicle curtains lacked any color. They were devoid of patterns. The word creativity and curtains were never used in the same sentence. They were designed to match the somber nature of a hospital or at least its walls and ceilings. This staid approach was to continue until the 1980s.
Hospital Cubicle Curtains Following the 1980s
In the 1980s, a slow change began. Some firms began to manufacture hospital cubicle curtains in more than a single design. In the decades that followed, more and more patterns, colors and designs became available. The philosophy of medical facilities had changed. They began to accept the need for a sense of humanity in their wards. While privacy curtains were essential, it did not mean they had to be grim or bland in their design or color.
Patients required some cheering up or calming down. In children’s wards, in particular, the colored and gaily patterned curtains began to take over the practical nonentities. By 2000, the amount of colored, patterned and cartoon costumed cubicle curtains had begun to take over. Manufacturers were producing significant amounts of these variations on a theme and successfully selling them. Companies even customize the designs to match the needs of the facility.
In 2007, another change began to affect the production of hospital cubicle curtains. Research had indicated that traditional curtains were capable of spreading diseases. In an age where methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are very real threats, the need was for the production of curtains that could be less susceptible to the spreading of airborne disease. The result was antimicrobial hospital cubicle curtains.
Today, manufacturers are striving to further improve the ability of hospital cubicle curtains to help medical facilities do their job. They are fire retardant. They are disease resistant. They also are a delight to the eye soothing the nerves of patients and making children feel less stressed. Visit website, for more information.
