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Abstract
Single rooms have advantages over multi-bed rooms in reducing airborne transmission through ventilation and the possibility of such air quality measures as filtration, air changes, creation of positive air pressure to protect an immunocompromised patient from airborne pathogens in adjacent spaces, or creation of negative room pressure to prevent a patient with an aerially spread infection from infecting others. Decentralised charting stations can help reduce falls by fostering direct observation of vulnerable individuals, and enabling nurses to provide assistance quickly when at-risk patients attempt to get out of bed Importantly, there is good evidence that well-designed patient-care units with single rooms and decentralised charting and observation do not require higher nurse staffing than conventional multi-bed units.