Hospitals are filled with the latest technologies. CT scans can give doctors internal views of our bodies that would have seemed miraculous to previous generations. Artificial intelligence uses big data to provide insights about medicine using computer power far beyond the capabilities of the human brain.
DNA therapy can treat or even cure once intractable diseases.
These high-tech advances undoubtedly save lives. But there is one invention dating to at least the 13th century B.C. that could increase the odds of surviving surgery.
A window.
University of Michigan research shows that a hospital room with a window might play an important role in increasing the odds of surviving a risky surgery. Other factors that weigh into the equation include a room’s distance from a nursing station and whether someone is in a single-patient room.
The study involved nearly 4,000 patients at a single hospital who underwent one of 13 risky surgeries from 2016 to 2019, including kidney transplants and a colectomy.
Investigators found that the risk of death was 20% higher for patients in a room without a window, compared with those who had an outside view. That was after adjusting for the patients’ health conditions and the complexity of the operation.
Other factors also influenced mortality rates, including having a nurse able to see the patient from outside the room. Some hospital designs include a window between the room and the corridor side so caregivers can peer inside.
Scientists say more research is needed. But this study reinforces previous work dating to the 1980s pointing to the medical value of patients being able to see the outside world.
A room with a view just might be a lifesaver.