MH page 220

Where the illness is serious, requiring the attendance of a nurse night and day, the work should be shared by at least two efficient nurses, so that each may have opportunity for rest and for exercise in the open air. This is especially important in cases where it is difficult to secure an abundance of fresh air in the sickroom. Through ignorance of the importance of fresh air, ventilation is sometimes restricted, and the lives of both patient and attendant are often in danger.

Critical illnesses requiring continuous nursing should involve at least two nurses to ensure adequate rest, fresh air exposure, and proper ventilation. The text discusses staffing and operational management in serious illness to protect the health of both patients and attendants.

If proper precaution is observed, noncontagious diseases need not be taken by others. Let the habits be correct, and by cleanliness and proper ventilation keep the sickroom free from poisonous elements. Under such conditions, the sick are much more likely to recover, and in most cases neither attendants nor the members of the family will contract the disease.

Maintaining correct habits, cleanliness, and proper ventilation in the sickroom prevents the transmission of noncontagious diseases. The text asserts that environmental hygiene and correct habits prevent others from contracting noncontagious diseases from patients.

To afford the patient the most favorable conditions for recovery, the room he occupies should be large, light, and cheerful, with opportunity for thorough ventilation. The room in the house that best meets these requirements should be chosen as the sickroom. Many houses have no special provision for proper ventilation, and to secure it is difficult; but every possible effort should be made to arrange the sickroom so that a current of fresh air can pass through it night and day.

Sickrooms should be large, light, cheerful, and arranged to allow a continuous current of fresh air to support patient recovery. The text provides physical environmental specifications for an optimal sickroom to aid patient recovery.