Examples

Overcoming boredom in a thoracic ward

“Patients who have to lie flat for a while after their procedures or are confined to bed because they are on monitors, can get very bored, which isn’t good for them. Patients feel better and do better if their minds are active.”

The wards in a specialist thoracic hospital have a stock of DVDs and CDs, educational as well as entertainment, which patients can play on the bedside monitors or on walkmans. There is a pair of goggles with inbuilt screens so patients who have to lie flat can watch a DVD instead of staring at the ceiling. Ex-patients now donate DVDs to the library.