Co-Ed Hospital Patient Rooms (Is This Ethical)?

[Newbie2]

Newbie2:

Looking back in the last 50 to 60 years we’ve seen the Baby Boomer generation come out of its shell as being the most liberal, open-minded generation in modern history which quiet obviously has filtered into minds of subsequent generations up to present day.

Traditions, morals and modesty in comparison from the immediate time period after World-War II seriously fade in resemblance if one is to speak of morals, modesty and the like today. Has society evolved out of its archaic morals and petty modesty of yesteryear?

Can one say with assurance that Hospitals back 40,50 and 60 years ago weren’t as full of patients half a century ago? Modesty in a hospital today means nothing to medical staff.

Could one have even thought that 50 years ago that nursing staff would have ventured to place mixed-gender patients together? If not Why?

Is it because today we’ve evolved past our petty sexist differences? Really!!!

Newbie2; I mentioned;

You answered; I would have made the same affirmation.

Do you honestly believe that Nuns, Brothers and Priests cloistered in monasteries and converts are less tempted from inter-sex relations if they were subject to Co-Ed habitation compared to mixed gender sick hospital patients with a privacy curtain between them?

No living human being is removed from sexual temptations in such instance…sick or not.

Would a Catholic Hospital re-consider Co-Ed patients in their hospital rooms?
If not Why?

From a purely secular viewpoint I do see the reason why many hospitals in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada are open to the Co-Ed gender hospital rooms due to increasing hospital bed shortage. But does the mainstay of that reasoning mean its right or out of convenience? Surely; some will see it in both respects.
You said:
Thankfully we can both agree here.

Peace
Chris

OK, thanks. I see what you’re saying much better now.

As an individual who is constantly sick, I must respond to this question. Whenever I am sick, I cannot possibly think about doing anything. Sick people don’t think about sex, they just don’t, they are usually far too sick to even think about food.

I agree, Maria. Whenever I’ve been sick enough to be hospitalized, they could have had Mr. Ed in the next bed over and I would not have cared. The could have had some young smoking-hot women in the next bed and I could not have cared any less.

I would say that while it’s probably preferable to have same-sex hospital room patients, as long as there’s an adequate visual barrier, I don’t see much of a problem having a sick person of the opposite sex in the same room.

Especially when one considers nowadays insurance companies want to get you out of the hospital ASAP, many times when you’re still feeling ******, in my opinion sexual thoughts are the last thing on a patient’s mind.

That being said, I’m sure there are situations that arise where a problem could occur.

 

[Dale_M]

The current government in Britain recently pledged to eliminate mixed sex hospital wards/rooms.
bbc.co.uk/news/health-10982566

Scotland abolished them in 2005, and Northern Ireland has been working on eliminating them, and Wales is well on its way to achieving that goal.

Honestly, I am surprised that mixed sex hospital rooms/wards have existed for so long without public complaint.

 

[Petergee]

The current government in Britain recently pledged to eliminate mixed sex hospital wards/rooms.
bbc.co.uk/news/health-10982566

Scotland abolished them in 2005, and Northern Ireland has been working on eliminating them, and Wales is well on its way to achieving that goal.

Honestly, I am surprised that mixed sex hospital rooms/wards have existed for so long without public complaint.

Same here in New South Wales whose government has pledged to eliminate all dual-sex hospital wards in government-owned hospitals as a matter of “respect for patients”. There have never been many of them and I don’t think any other Australian state or any Catholic or private hospital has ever had them, and I too was surprised to hear that they existed a few years ago.

I suppose there would have been more of an outcry except that most people only discover that dual-sex wards exist when they or a loved one is desperately ill and they have the illness uppermost in their minds. I do recall a case when a Moslem woman refused to be admitted to hospital because the hospital put her in a ward with men. The hospital backed down and found her a bed in a women-only ward.

 

[MariaTS]

Honestly, I am surprised that mixed sex hospital rooms/wards have existed for so long without public complaint.

Honestly, I am surprised that it is even a big deal at all.

 

[centurionguard]

Honestly, I am surprised that it is even a big deal at all.

No disrespect; but can I postulate that given your statement that like most sick patients admitted into a hospital patient room, that your primary concern is to undoubtedly heal and get better.

But where does respected modesty sit well with your being when you feel that it should be shown to you by medical staff and other patients around you?

Is respected modesty in a hospital a patient right or a bottom basement option?

Some people believe that, as patients, they are “owed” this extra step by health care providers to be sure modesty is addressed. But no, they are not.

Many health care providers, perhaps even the majority, understand that patients wish to be covered, want someone to knock on the door, or in general are modest and embarrassed. Is it fair to say that all practitioners and nurses will take the extra steps in the best way they know how to address their patients’ modesty issues.

Increasingly; this is not true for most medical staff. There is no patient right stated anywhere that modesty must be addressed by any health care provider. Yes, we should be able to expect respect be paid to us. But respect is subjective, and from the point of view of any medical staff, addressing a patient modesty issues is far from their first thought. Providing good care is their first thought and from their perspective, attending to modesty issues is most often not even considered on their radar, seemingly because in their views it gets in the way of that good care.

Knowing that, should patients who are concerned with modesty, regardless of their gender, take the steps necessary to get the care they need even if they find it embarrassing. Modesty from the prospective of doctors and nurses isn’t a good enough excuse to avoid care, especially when problematic symptoms arise.

I believe today this is paramount reason why health care providers don’t even give a patients concerns with modesty any thought, which is another reason why we see Co Ed hospital patient rooms.

Would this seem to suggest that women are far less embarrassed when faced with a gynecological exam in front of a male doctor as if to say let it all hang out.

And how about male patients being naked and examined by female doctors?
Ah! No big deal what’s to be embarrassed about. Modesty means nothing today.
If a patient has concerns of modesty today their considered a prude.

And why is it that when a woman is medically examined by a male doctor a female nurse accompanies the patient as a witness to make sure nothing out of the ordinary should take place. If a man is examined by a female doctor no nurse is there to witness.

Is this because a male doctor can’t be all together trusted but a female doctor can?
Or is it to safe-guard the comfort and modesty of the female patient.

Here’s a few links on the reminder of Modesty:
fisheaters.com/modesty.html
blogs.modestlyyours.net/modestly_yours/2006/01/catholic_teachi.html
bioethicsdiscussion.blogspot.com/2009/11/patient-modesty-volume-28.html

 

[wabrams]

I’ve seen coed rooms in Surgical/Trauma ICU before, but usually those patients sharing a room are intubated and knocked-out.