Backing a revolution in furniture design

Hospital Development, Apr 2001 by Burton, Richard

Richard Burton outlines his aspirations for NHS waiting area furniture that meets the varied needs of its users.

Waiting seems to be part of life, and particularly so in the health service.

There is an assumption that you should sit down while you wait. I remember a police station in Milan where the waiting room was provided with deep armchairs which caused many people great difficulty.

Having to sit down to wait is for many people the worst thing to be invited to do, and particularly in the case of patients such as lower back pain sufferers, pregnant women and older people. One should add to this list anyone who is very nervous.

Can anyone sit still if preoccupied with a potentially horrible diagnosis? What if you have lower back pain and you feel better standing up? Patients may have doubts about whether they can get out of their chair when they are called. So this is a group of people not served by the usual waiting room furniture.

In the prototype piece of furniture that we designed (and which was featured in HD Mar '96) for the INPUT pain management unit at St Thomas' Hospital, London, we explored different modes of seating and standing to suit different choices related to patient comfort. The extension of this concept is to provide waiting rooms with different choices of furniture, not forgetting the needs of children.

What I have in mind is the introduction of the 'stander' concept in the NHS, a free-standing high surface about 1000 mm-1050 mm high, and a 'leaner', about 760 mm high. This is in addition to fixed chairs, and always remembering the presence of children, shopping and coffee cups.

Designers and manufacturers would do well to consider a new format for waiting spaces.

Measuring the comfort factor One furniture designer is to create a `comfort index' for furniture intended for care environments.

Furniture designer and manufacturer AJ Way has been awarded what it says is an exclusive contract by the European Community to research and develop a new way of measuring and describing the comfort of upholstered furniture.

Robin Maslen, joint managing director of AJ Way, said: "Research into comfort measurement is extremely important for our business, which specialises in upholstered furniture for the elderly care markets. I am confident the work will improve our knowledge and product development."

"We will work with other companies and organisations in Europe and will also be supported by SATRA's Furniture Technology Centre. The creation of a 'comfort index' will ensure that chairs are designed properly for a specific end use, bearing in mind the weight of a person and the duration of sitting".

The project will explore factors that contribute to chair comfort and will help develop scientific techniques to measure them. Areas under study will include: ergonomics, pressure distribution, moisture absorption, insulation and 'softness' over different levels of use and time.

John Shipman of SATRA commented. "We are pleased to support AJ Way in this project. The development of a detailed comfort index will be an important step forward for companies involved in the design, manufacture and marketing of seating. We are also hopeful that this research can be extended to address issues of comfort for the bed industry." For further information contact Robin Maslen at AJ Way on tel 01494 471$21.

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