Thermal comfort of patients in hospital ward areas.

The patient is identified as being of prime importance for comfort standards in hospital ward areas, other ward users being expected to adjust their dress to suit the conditions necessary for patients comfort. A study to identify the optimum steady state conditions for patients comfort is then described. Although this study raises some doubts as to the applicability of the standard thermal comfort assessment techniques to ward areas, it is felt that its results give a good indication of the steady-state conditions preferred by the patients. These were an air temperature of between 21-5 degrees and 22 degrees C and a relative humidity of between 30% and 70%, where the air velocity was less than 0-1 m/s and the mean radiant temperature was close to air temperature.     

Thermal comfort during work

Summary Different methods of quantifying thermal alliesthesia were used to examine the circadian variations of thermal comfort. At eight different times of the 24 h day, four subjects were exposed to a constant room temperature of 25°C. After 30 min rest, the subjects performed 50 W bicycle ergometer work for 45 min. A 5 s temperature stimulus of 15°, 20°, 25°, 30°, 35°, and 38°C was applied on the hand, forehead, and back of the neck. For each stimulus the subjects voted their degree of thermal comfort on the subjective thermal comfort scale, ranging from +2 for very pleasant to –2 for very unpleasant. The most pleasant temperature on the back of the neck was chosen by voluntary control. This procedure was performed at the start and repeated every 15 min throughout the exposure time. A 5:5 × 2.7 cm² Peltier thermode was used to give the temperature stimuli. Voluntary control voting was carried out using the temperature control knob without looking at the temperature scale of the thermode.The results suggest that during rest in a state of thermal neutrality the core temperature is about 0.06°C lower than the thermoregulatory set point (Cabanac et al. 1976; Strempel et al. 1976). This deviation (T_rect - T_set) from the set point is known in man-made servo-systems as the load error (Benzinger 1979). During rest in an atmosphere of thermal comfort, the load error in the human thermostat is found to be negative (Cabanac et al. 1976; Strempel et al. 1976; Benzinger 1979), i.e., T_set > T_rect, where T_rect is the prevailing core temperature and T_set, is the thermoregulatory set point. The small deviation from the set point is viewed as being necessary to sustain the response and to keep the temperature in equilibrium between production and loss of heat (Benzinger 1979). Thermal comfort limits during work rise from the early morning to the afternoon and then fall slowly towards the minimum level in the morning. The circadian variations of the core temperature load error associated with onset of sweating have a phase shift of 180° (12 h) with the alliesthesial reactions. Using our results and the results from Cabanac et al. (1976), it has been possible to write a circadian thermoregulatory set function to estimate the set point at any point of day time.     

Thermal comfort and the heat stress indices

Thermal stress is an important factor in many industrial situations, athletic events and military scenarios. It can seriously affect the productivity and the health of the individual and diminish tolerance to other environmental hazards. However, the assessment of the thermal stress and the translation of the stress in terms of physiological and psychological strain is complex. For over a century attempts have been made to construct an index, which will describe heat stress satisfactorily. The many indices that have been suggested can be categorized into one of three groups: "rational indices", "empirical indices", or "direct indices". The first 2 groups are sophisticated indices, which integrate environmental and physiological variables; they are difficult to calculate and are not feasible for daily use. The latter group comprises of simple indices, which are based on the measurement of basic environmental variables. In this group 2 indices are in use for over four decades: the "wet-bulb globe temperature" (WBGT) index and the "discomfort index" (DI). The following review summarizes the current knowledge on thermal indices and their correlates to thermal sensation and comfort. With the present knowledge it is suggested to adopt the DI as a universal heat stress index.     

285例综合科住院病人舒适状况与焦虑分析

目的:了解住院病人的舒适现状及与焦虑的关系,为今后提供整体的、个性化的、创造性的、有效的护理模式提供参考;方法:采用舒适状况量表(GCQ)和焦虑自评量表(SAS)对同德医院/闲林院区住院病人进行调查;结果:大部分住院病人的整体舒适度为中度偏上水平;老年病人、受教育程度低、内科病人的整体舒适度以及生理、心理、社会文化维度的舒适度分别低于非老年、受教育程度高和外科病人,而焦虑水平则高于后者,差异具统计学意义(P＜0.05);住院病人的整体舒适状况以及生理、心理、社会文化和环境舒适与焦虑存在显著性负相关(P＜0.05);结论:在临床护理中应重视病人的生理、心理、社会文化和环境的需求,及时发现并处理病人各种生理不适与焦虑情绪,多动员家属关心和陪伴病人,以获得心理上的满足感和安全感,使患者身心处于最佳状态配合治疗,提高患者的舒适度,促进病人康复.     

北京市某高校座椅舒适度的调查

目的了解北京市某高校座椅舒适度情况,减少因座椅不适给学生造成的疲劳,提高学习质量。方法选取某高校大学生男和女生各5名做被试,进行试验。试验先让被试分别使用3种不同的座椅学习45 min后填写舒适度主观评价表,然后使用SPSS 16.0进行统计分析。结果对于同一类座椅不同性别对适合度和舒适度评价得分差异无统计学意义（P〉0.05）;无论女生和男生组,还是整体上看,座椅3与座椅2和4的适合度和舒适度评价得分比较,差异均有统计学意义（P〈0.05）;3种类型座椅适合度和舒适度得分均不高。结论高校座椅舒适度不容乐观,应采取措施改善座椅的舒适情况,以有利于大学生的身体健康。     

老人不孤独的学问

对于很多的老人来说,物质养老不再成为问题,精神上的依托、心理上的慰藉才是迫在眉睫的需要。就像赵本山的小品《钟点工》里的经典台词＂屋里憋屈型＂一样,＂空巢老人＂是当代社会经济快速发展的背景下产生的新名词。调查显示,自2001年起,我国正式进入快速老龄化阶段。预计到2050年,中国的老龄人口总量将超过4亿人,老龄化水平将超过30%以上。而现在,全国1.67亿60岁以上老人中,     

The comfort zone

Meet the patient comfort team at this South Carolina hospital and see how a simple idea evolved into a major program.