What are the uses and types of Medical Dividers do we find in hospitals:

Let us start at the beginning.

What are Medical Dividers:

• These are dividers that separate patients from each other and or the rest of the hospital in the Wards, Trauma rooms, Emergency rooms, Isolation units, and or Surgeries.

What are they made of?

These dividers are made of many different materials for different reasons:

• 1: MEDICALLY GRADED PLASTIC:
• This comes in 2 forms:
• 1- A tent-like plastic covering structure that separates and isolates the patient from any outside un-purified air as well as protects everyone outside of the tent-like structure from any viruses or bacteria that the patient might be suffering from. (Used mostly in Isolation units)
• 2- Hard plastic strips hanging like curtains and usually is not only medically graded and purified it will trap or brush off any bacteria off the clothes on the person walking through the strips as well as prevents germs, bacteria, and or viruses from spreading (used mostly in ICU’s and High-Care’s)
• 2: MEDICALLY GRADED POLYESTER: used usually in theatres and or surgical areas in the “FIELD”, this polyester curtains or strips separate patients from others of duel procedures when in emergency field procedures or isolation areas to prevent splatter of blood and spread of any other types of viral spreading.
• 3: MATERIAL CURTAINS: The most commonly used in all areas of the hospital, these curtains which are sterile and cleaned and changed regularly, and hangs between patients in wards, Trauma units, ER Centers, and or surgeries or Dr’s rooms.

They are easily removed and replaced onto a curtain rail and can be moved open or closed with ease and with any part of the nurse or doctor’s upper body.

They usually just there to separate the patients from each other for privacy or is a quick procedure or examination that needs to be performed in the ward and are usually left open for patients to communicate with each other. This patient to patient communication has been proven to be positive when it comes to the healing process and treatment.

In Trauma and Emergency Rooms, they will most likely remain closed at all times as the patient’s illnesses and or injuries might not be appropriate for anyone else to see and patient communication is of no importance as per ward patients.

Though this is standard issue Medical Dividers in many if not all Private and State Hospitals, some of the older State-operated Trauma and Emergency Units still operate with the curtain on wheels dividers, that can move across the unit from patient to patient when the need arises.