The NexxWellness Comfort Blind is a high acuity headwall cover that creates a calming hospital environment while still providing vital access to headwall features. This creates a more healing and safe space for Behavioral Health patients, as well as End-of-Life patients and their families.
in collaboration with Claire Smith and Caroline Allen, designed for Nexxspan
Research
Nexxspan is a company that creates high acuity medical equipment. The company sells headwalls as well as many types of add-on attachments.
Medical headwalls are wall-mounted, integrated equipment management systems that provide electrical services and distribution of essential gas (air, oxygen, and vacuum). They are also used to mount necessary equipment.
These are the two headwall models that Nexxspan offers. The horizontal Medical Gas Rail (or MGR) system comes in 4 size options and includes built-in lighting and equipment rails on the system, as well as a rail above and below for extra equipment mounting options. The Matrixx-M is a vertical system that is more commonly found in NICU’s and includes many of the same features but mounts extra rails on either side rather than above and below.
Needfinding
The primary people that interact with the headwall are the hospital staff, the patients, and their families. The patients who would benefit most from a headwall cover are behavioral health and end-of-life patients, so we sought out the specific needs of these two groups.
patients
staff
family
Behavioral Health involves the emotions and behaviors relating to a person’s mental well-being, ability to function in everyday life, and concept of self.
Most commonly treated behavioral health
conditions include anxiety, major depression, and bipolar disorder.
Journey Maps of Hospitalized Patients
Behavioral Health Patient
Behavioral health patients arrive to the hospital in one of two ways: either they choose to come, or someone admits them. Regardless, ensuring safety of the patient and hospital staff is of utmost importance. A headwall cover can guard necessary equipment while preventing danger.
End of Life Patient
End of Life patients each have a unique situation that leads them to end their days in the hospital. Patient comfort is paramount, open communication between family and staff is a must, and compassion is critical in every step of the process. A headwall cover could make the room feel more comfortable and less clinical.
IDEATION
Our group brainstormed all the different ways a headwall cover could be disguised, and even created a morphological matrix of features to come up with more ideas. These are some of the concepts we considered, organized by category.
Tambour doors intrigued us because they could easily be rolled up and configured in different ways.
Tambour Headwall Cover
This is one of the main concepts we presented to Nexxspan for feedback. It features two tambour doors that roll upwards as well as soft light on either side.
Final Model
The NexxWellness Comfort Blind is a headwall cover that transforms a hospital room into a calming environment while still providing vital access to headwall features. It includes lightweight tyvek sliding screens, lights on either side, a locking mechanism, and UV cleaning capabilities. The tyvek "doors" on the front can feature any artwork that the hospital chooses.
The Comfort Blind can be easily installed onto a headwall using pre-existing Nexxspan double-wide adapters and a special bracket.
