Comfort Room Development and Design
The two admission units’ direct care nursing staff and clients chose the comfort room location on units and began discussing these rooms with all clients at the weekly community ward meetings. These weekly meetings occur on each unit, and all clients’ attendance is requested to receive education and information about unit and hospital wide current concerns and initiatives. The committee’s clients also informed their peers of the committee’s progress at these meetings. All clients throughout the facility were given a survey to voluntarily complete that included a description and purpose of the initiative, items to include in the rooms such as a comfortable chair and music, and queried as to what additional items they would like to see in these rooms that would promote a relaxing and soothing environment. Although the rooms would initially only be located on two admission units, the committee decided that all clients in the building would have the same opportunity to vote on the different proposals. This led to increased clients buy in and created a sense of client pride and ownership in these rooms.