The University Hospital of Ghent (UZ Gent) will now provide headphones as standard practice in group wards in the maternity and neonatology departments. As doctors attend to patients in a ward, others present in the room will be asked to wear headphones so that individuals can speak freely as consultants talk to them.
Six months ago, the UZ Gent started a pilot project in the maternity ward to increase patient privacy during a round and make sure people feel as comfortable as possible speaking to the staff about physical and psychological complaints.
"It is the intention that patients can talk freely. They must be able to say what they want. To ensure privacy, we decided to experiment with headphones," gynaecologist Isabelle Dehaene said on Flemish radio. "When one patient is speaking to a doctor or nurse, the other one puts on the headphones and does not hear anything."
Related News
- 'At our limit': 133 people donated their body to Flemish university last year
- Belgium sees 'exuberant' rise in price of donor sperm
- More than 1,500 people in Belgium waiting for organ donation
Now, the hospital has decided to keep the headphones, not after a scientific study but after a survey of the patients. "They indicate that the headphones are a good thing and increase well-being and general health."
Additionally, patients have even started implementing their own version of the system, Dehaene said. "We provide headphones ourselves, but an increasing number of patients are bringing their own earphones when we come around."
The headphones are now not only common in the maternity ward, but also in neonatology. Similar projects have now also been started in other hospitals. "The only downside is that the headphones are sometimes taken. We have already lost two of them, so we are extra vigilant about them now," she said.
