Switchable Smart Glass – Enhancing 3 UK Healthcare Facilities

Switchable glass can dramatically change the patient living space or the medical teams workspace at the flick of a switch, therefore allowing medical experts and patients to customise their surroundings to fulfil a functional requirement.

Privacy smart glass has been used in examination rooms and operating theatres to enhance patient privacy and comfort. Blackout smart glass has enabled total darkness to be achieved at the flick of a switch in X-ray rooms, scanner rooms and laboratories. Discover how switchable smart glass has made a difference in 3 U.K. healthcare facilities.

Pioneers of Robotic Surgery

St Mary’s Paddington Hospital in Westminster, London, is renowned for being at the forefront of technology and introduced the UK’s first da Vinci system for keyhole surgery. Especially in high dependency units, patient safety is paramount.  This is where Smart Glass again met the brief  providing a hygienic environment meeting the patients core needs. Research has shown that patient recovery times can be reduced if they are in a comfortable setting.

Model of Excellence in Sunderland Royal Hospital

The Sunderland Royal Hospital in England installed the most technology advanced patient monitoring switchable smart glass systems in their world class state of the art high dependency ICCU.

The NHS wanted to introduce a partition system that allowed for monitoring of patients while maintaining their privacy and minimizing the risk of cross contamination among patients while meeting the strict hygiene requirements of hospital.  Toughened  panels of smart glass were installed along the corridors of the ICCU with double doors entering each ward.

Smart glass has had a key role to play in minimising the spread of superbugs such as MRSA as research has shown that it is significantly reduced by the presence of sheer, easily cleaned surfaces as opposed to bacteria and bug harbouring blinds and curtains.

West Wales General Hospital

West Wales General Hospital submitted a design brief for a new endoscopy unit for two procedure rooms, a treatment room and a two stage recovery facility and patient and relative waiting area, delivering the very best in quality and value to their patients was a core part of the brief.

Switchable smart glass was installed due to its high visual impact but more importantly its properties to deliver privacy to patients in a medical setting. Hygiene was of the utmost importance. A study conducted by Cleveland Veterans Aggairs Medical Centre in Ohio, revealed that 43% of privacy curtains were contaminated with VRE, 22% of them harboured MRSA and 4% tested positive for CDIFF.

Smart Glass provides the ideal surface to combat these deadly infections and eliminate the need to blinds and curtains. Two LC Smart Glass panels were integrated into the partition walls of each treatment room.

If you’d like more information on smart glass and its possible applications, contact Smartglass International today, or browse our projects page to view our previous projects.