Healthcare facilities are moving toward compact ER exam and treatment cubicles, according to an an article on The Wall Street Journal website.
These cubicles are meant for emergency room patients with less serious problems so more space can be devoted to more critical patients.
They are also designed to improve efficiency of patient visits while avoiding facility expansions.
Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital, for example, just added 16 cubicles to the ER. The "pods" feature reclining chairs rather than beds. They have three walls and a curtained opening.
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