Duke Hospital, InterGom
Page 5
Patient Care
(Continued from page 3)
food, will serve hotter and colder food
to the patients on the three new
wards, the six old [)rivate wards, and
])OKsibly the eight public wards, thus
takiiii; the place of nine to seventeen
small servino; kitchens of the old in
dividual ward type.
The fourth floor provides 10 new
operating rooms and a staff lounge,
relieving a long existing shortage and
permitting more efficient handling of
this part of the work of the surgical
staff. On this floor in the wing con
necting the old w'ith the new operat
ing rooms is a service unit designed
to facilitate the preparation of the
supply tables for each operation and
to expedite the clean up of these
tables following operation. Here is
located one of the new ultrasonic
washers for better and more rapid
cleaning of surgical instruments, a
special sterilizer for handling con
taminated instruments and supplies
and a large, central sterilizing area
for surgical instruments. Connected
to this by service elevators is the en
larged central supply room on the
ground floor.
Also on the fourth floor is a recovery
ward of 16 beds, located between the
old and new operating rooms. Sup
plementing this on the fifth floor is
an intensive nursing w^ard of 29 beds.
This latter ward carries the idea of
the recovery room further into the
posto{)erative period, and here pa
tients of moderate means can secure
the best of care for as long as needed
without the necessity of special
nurses, which are in short supply and
frequently are not obtainable.
The remainder of the fifth floor con
tains dressing rooms and lockers for
nurses, doctors and students, a din
ing room, sun deck for the staff, and
overhead observation rooms from
which nurses, medical students, resi
dent staff, and visiting doctors can
best view the operations in w'hich they
are interested without interfering
with activities on the fourth floor.
The entire building is thus designed
for better care of patients, conserva
tion of the time of the staff and better
training of the students be they un
dergraduate or graduate in the medi
cal or nursing school.
Nursing Personnel
(Continued from page 3)
ment to facilitate, to a marked degree,
the iiuUvidual care so essential to each
jiatient. Much the same can be said
for our new Recovery Room where
more space and new equipment pro
motes the skill and ease of essential
care.
Now, we are looking forward to the
opening of the new Dijiing Room for
ambulatory j)atients which will not
only provide a more cheerful atmos
phere for meals but, it is lioped, an
area for planned recreation which is
becoming more and more important in
therapeutic treatment today.
All of these and many others help
to create within the new wing a quiet,
colorfid environment conducive to
pride, initiative and enthusiasm on
the part of nursing personnel. This,
in turn, reflects itself in more interest
in and efforts to promote better pa
tient care which is—after all—our
real goal.
Hot Foods Hot
(Contmued from page 4)
waitress according to their order.
Patients will enjoy the advantages of
efficient service, a selective menu and
dining in an attractive social atmos
phere. It is anticipated that many
patients will avail themselves of this
new service.