The Waiting Game

'Apprehension, uncertainty, waiting, expectation, fear of surprise,
do a patient more harm than any exertion’
Florence Nightingale 1860

One of the reasons why people find waiting a long time so difficult is the lack of information and stimulation in waiting rooms. Now many hospitals are now trying to address this issue by improving the general character of the waiting environment in ways that help to pass the time.

• A midwife offers some simple, but brilliant ideas for mothers in labour
• Wisconsin Clinical Cancer Center's beautiful grounds cheer patients during treatment
• Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust lifts the spirits of patients and relatives through art
• Birds round a bird table provide hours of gentle entertainment for patients in hospital
• Blankets can bring warmth and comfort to immobile patients
• Board Games can restore confidence of people with short term memory problems
• British Red Cross offer therapeutic care
• Heartlands hospital 'Art on the Move'. Creative ideas to pass the time
• Dignity Action Day 2012 - bigger than ever
• Holding hands brings great comfort to some patients
• Ipswich Hospital Offers Ward Matron Drop-in sessions to patients and relatives
• Ipswich Hospital offers Ward Matron Drop-in sessions to Patients and Carers
• Large hospitals often have several car parks Be warned
• Mr Smith's Outpatient's appointment..... we wish!
• Mr Smith's outpatients appointment
• Heart of England NHS - Musical Interludes
• Newspaper headlines and photos can be a simple way of keeping brain-damaged patients in touch
• Nil by Mouth signs should include date and time the fasting started
• Patients own books, magazines and toys reduce cross-infection and relieve boredom in waiting rooms
• Patients urge staff to include them in their social conversation on the wards
• Reading Therapies offer story telling and other services to patients
• Ready Set Read! - this American scheme helps children learn to read in waiting rooms
• Seats of different heights and sizes bring comfort to patients with mobility problems
• Studer Group in America recalls the five fundamentals of good service and applies them to hospitals
• Shakespeare Hospice Volunteer drivers make a real difference
• Cystic Fibrosis sufferer offers personal advice on making the best of a hospital stay
• Suite 101 offer advice on how to help dementia patients through memory books
• Surname, first name or preferred name?
• The perfect tea or coffee
• University Hospital, Coventry's Memory Lane and Forget-me-not Lounge help patients with dementia
• St James Institute of Oncology volunteers in Leeds give that all important greeting
• Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust 'discharge lounges'
• Walsall Manor Hospital Main Entrance includes a restaurant, cafe, shop and cash machine
• The American 'Associated Content' website offers advice on Warmth and Coolness in hospital