There are two subtopics in the field of privacy, namely, waiting rooms and single-bed rooms.
This section describes the relationship of single-bed rooms to the privacy of the patient and the relationship between the waiting room and a lack of privacy. According to Mlinek & Pierce [37], overhearing conversations at the reception desk was the main problem in the waiting room. Mlinek & Pierce suggested achieving a more audibly secure area by changing the structural design. Thus, the addition of background music or the use of physical barriers could be used to limit noise transmission and overhearing of conversations.