How to Design a Room for Chemotherapy Treatment

The very nature of chemotherapy treatment can be frightening for the patient and their family. Healthcare facilities are increasingly trying to improve patient comfort by providing treatment areas conducive to relaxation. Chemotherapy generally consists of the patient reclining in a chair while intravenous medications are administered for approximately 90 minutes. This means that flexibility exists to design a room that is less like a medical setting and more like a lounge, and function and comfort can be balanced.

Instructions

• 1

  Determine specifically which space within the facility will be dedicated to chemotherapy. Ideally, it will have dedicated restrooms and be near patient parking and any other areas that patients will need to access, such as the pharmacy.

• 2

  Ascertain how many patients must be accommodated at any one time to determine how you will design the room and allocate space.

• 3

  Draw a plan of the space outline, detailing measurements and locations of windows, doors, and restrooms. Recruit the assistance of an interior design professional by asking them to donate their services for this worthy cause.

• 4

  Allow sufficient space for each chemotherapy service cubicle to ensure that patients may have one or two visitors while undergoing treatment. The cubicle must comfortably allow room for a reclining chair, intravenous drip, freestanding locker or table, and visitor chairs and must facilitate ease of staff movement around the patient. Cubicles can de divided by drapes so that patients may have privacy or converse with other patients if desired.

• 5

  Choose a color palette that is relaxing and serene. Get ideas from local day spas and hotel public areas. You want the space to appear comfortable while allowing it to be cleaned easily, since hygiene is of great importance.

• 6

  Ask local artists to donate artwork for the walls, or have children in the children's ward create pictures to be framed and hung in the room.

• 7

  Ensure that the room has WiFi access, so that patients can surf the Internet while receiving treatment. It is important to provide them with activities to occupy them. You could also make laptops and MP3 players available. If it is financially feasible, mount a television with individual headseats and controls on the ceiling of each cubicle.

• 8

  Allow adequate space for a staff station and storage. Kitchen cabinetry can be used to complement the design of the room, while providing a wealth of storage options and desk space.