Curtains in exam room?

I'm just finishing up my realistic exam room, and I wanted to know how many single patient exam rooms have curtains? I've seen them in some real exam rooms, but not all, so I wanted to see what others have experienced.

I have not seen curtains for a long time; my current Dr.'s office does not have windows in the exam rooms so no need. Other Dr.' s offices which I have been in either have blinds or shades, but no curtains. Maybe this is due to cleaning or dust issues?

Are you talking about curtains to cover up the window? Or some kind of curtain to provide privacy within the exam room?

As far as a window covering goes, most doctor's offices that I see have blinds of some sort that cover the window instead of fabric curtains. I'm assuming that curtains would attract more dust and might present more of a problem for patients with allergies.

My doctors has blinds at the windows and no other privacy screen or curtain for you to change behind.The hospital room has no windows at all.

I meant a privacy curtain, assuming the room has blinds or no windows. I was going to buy a hospital curtain for my exam room (the kind with the mesh at the top), but it's like $500. I'd rather spend the money on a nice lamp, however I will buy it if most real exam rooms have privacy curtains...

I've been in exam rooms with a curtain around the changing area and/or by the door to the hall - just in case someone opens the door, and one clinic where some of the exam rooms had windows in the door - they were obviously converted from business offices.

I've seen a couple of gyn exam rooms that had a changing area with a curtain, but I haven't seen any when I've been to a GP. Are changing curtains more common in gynecology practices?

The gyn my SO uses has a curtain that hangs down to about 2' from the floor that pulls across the door about a foot into the room. When the nurse tells her to undress she pulls that curtain shut and leaves. When the doctor or NP comes in, she closes the door in that little space before she enters the room so no one outside can see into the exam room. Before they had that system once in a while you could occasionally get a really quick glimpse of a girl sitting on the table with the big napkin on her lap.

Reggind,

That is a good reason to have curtains in an exam room. I've even heard stories of nurses or other doctors opening the door while a woman is in the stirrups.....

I've never seen them in an exam room at my own physical, nor have I ever seen them when I went with my ex girlfriend to her annual gyno exams. Usually the rooms that have them just cover the door as an extra layer of patient privacy. I have heard stories though of men who go to the gynecologist with their wives or girlfriends and the doctor has a curtain that is pulled to block all explicit views except that of direct eye contact between the partner and the patient.

I have not seen curtains in a physician's examination room for many many years. Years ago, when many doctors had an office as part of their residence, there was only one exam room and the doctor would often remain in the room while the patient was undressing. There was a portable screen or curtain in the corner for privacy. Theses days, with large examination suites, all with full doors, those screens or curtains are long gone. However, I have seen curtains in some small emergency departments, or urgent care facilities.

When my wife and I went for our conjoint physicals this past June, we noticed that they had installed a curtain in the exam room that can be drawn closed a couple of feet from the door. The curtain comes down to within a foot or so from the floor. We can only assume that the other exam rooms now have curtains just inside the doorway as well. Our doctor's office is set up like a typical practice, with a waiting area and reception counter as you enter through the main doorway. There is a hallway to the left of the reception counter that leads to the exam rooms and bathroom.

I was first to receive my physical, so after the nurse took my vitals, she drew the curtain closed then opened the door to leave. She did the same when it was my wife's turn. When our PA entered for my exam then again for my wife's exam, she knocked as usual then closed the door before pushing the curtain aside to get by. She kept the curtain closed throughout our exams, I guess in case she needed to call in the nurse. So no one got a free show of me in my boxer briefs or of my wife in the skimpy little paper vest and short paper drape if they happened to walk by as the PA opened the door to come in.

My wife commented to our PA that she liked the curtain being there, because she remembers at our physicals last year that someone happened to walk by and saw her in the vest and drape as the door was opened. Our PA told us that several patients had actually suggested the curtains for that reason, and almost every patient that has seen them has said they like the extra privacy.

We use a large group practice that has over a hundred docs, family practice, internal med, and all sorts of specialists. I've only seen the type of curtain that @reggind described in post 10 in a couple orthopedic exam rooms that opened off a main hallway.

In UK most GPs have curtains in exam room as the Dr or nurse does not leave when you get undressed. For smears once the nurse has taken all the details down you get the instruction to "If you just go behind the curtain, take off your knickers and tights, you can leave your skirt on if you like and hop up onto the couch and hitch your skirt up. There is some paper there to cover yourself with and let me know when you are ready". Though did have a pill check up many years ago with a nurse and there was no curtain, not sure if she watched me drop my knickers but you never know.

Lisa

In UK most GPs have curtains in exam room as the Dr or nurse does not leave when you get undressed. For smears once the nurse has taken all the details down you get the instruction to "If you just go behind the curtain, take off your knickers and tights, you can leave your skirt on if you like and hop up onto the couch and hitch your skirt up. There is some paper there to cover yourself with and let me know when you are ready". Though did have a pill check up many years ago with a nurse and there was no curtain, not sure if she watched me drop my knickers but you never know.

Yeah my GP practice has got a separate nurse's room for smears and things like that and it has got curtains. I remembered it was like @lisapa7 said, they said the same sort of things to me. I just had a short skirt on and a thong both times. When I had my first smear when I was 25 the practice nurse was really a bit too quick and she came in around the curtain when I was pulling my thong down. I do not know how quick she thought I should be to get ready! She only gave me about 5 seconds! I did not even bother with the paper cover.

I have just had the 2 smears on NHS but after my second smear last year when I was 28 I have gone private now so I just have full annual gynecology check ups from now on. I will not be going back for NHS smears because I just prefer my full annual check ups with my private gynecologist now. There is not a curtain there in his exam room but there is a screen and it just seems a more private room anyway really.

My gyno has a curtian she pulls across the door way after she comes in and closed the door. My guess is because the foor of the table faces the door...prevents any accidental peepage if the door were to be opened mid exam.

My present doctor does not have a curtain to provide privacy should the door to the exam room open. She also doesn't have a shield or screen when changing but does make sure that the exam room is secure! Some offices that I have used allow for a privacy screen, which is nice, but truly one will be displayed so it is only a matter of time and how much. I do like that there are outside windows ...thankfully the office is on the 4th floor so no way one can see in.

. . . . I do like that there are outside windows ...thankfully the office is on the 4th floor so no way one can see in.

@julie13 I would hope there is no building across the way that is 4 floors or higher.... In a city where I used to live, there were two medical office buildings acrodd the street from one another. Those buildings were offset a little but one could see into the rooms across the way if the vertical blinds were not st properly.

My gyno office has all interior rooms...so no window peepers there. Does anybody else have the button in the room that you press when you are undressed and ready? My gyn's office has them right next to the exam table...get undressed, hop up, and push the button. There is a little light outside the exam room door indicating you are ready. Pretty nice feature in my opinion.

LisaPA and Amethyst, very much enjoyed your respective replies, it's always nice to hear from the Brit girls about your experiences. Thank you both

Yea I've noticed curtains becoming much more common and I think it's for this exact reason you state.

My GP's office does not have them, but my gyn's office does. They can be pulled along the length of the table, blocking off the rest of the room.

Yes in Drs surgery room curtains screen off couch from rest of room, also blinds on window.

Yes my dermatologist office now has one of those curtins that pulls in front of the door.

Recently had my annual exam and the doctor did pull a curtain blocking view of the table from the door. However, I did note that their was another building wing fifty feet from the window which had short horizontal row of windows one floor higher. Blinds on those windows were closed. With binoculars you could get a good view to the bottom end of the exam table.

I have yet to accompany a SO to an appointment (hopefully that will change sooner rather than later) but I do wonder if it would be more torture to go but have to stay in the waiting room, or be allowed into the exam room only to have all views blocked by a curtain (which would perhaps add an unexpected disappointment).

My GPs has curtains in every room. The table is usually in a corner and the curtains are around it. They block any view from the door or window. If there's any type of nudity the doctor usually lets me get undressed behind them the walks through them. When I'm just slipping my underwear down for an injection they're not normally closed.

When I went for my first chest surgery consultation the table was surrounded by curtains. After we'd talked I was told to go behind them and change into a paper waistcoat for a breast exam. The surgeon came in to do it, then take measurements. The odd thing was that there was a nurse in the room too, to record the information, but she sat outside the curtains and wrote everything down as the surgeon shouted it out to her.

My new gynecologist has one in front of the door in case either he or the nurse have to come in or go out during the exam.

I had used the same Gyno for over 30 years and during that time they had remodeled several times and even relocated but there were never curtains in any of the exam rooms. When I did switch, recently, my new gyno office did not have any curtains either.

Last year I was sent to an oncology gynocologist and I was surprised to see a curtain, much like at a hospital. It went completely around two sides of the exam table. The exam room itself was very large with a private bathroom and two small walk-in closet type “rooms, one seemed to be for storage of equipment with a counter and the other had instruments and what looked like a little lab area.

When the nurse first asked me to undress from the waist down, she handed me a drape (no gown) and she closed the curtain. I could hear her opening and closing drawers and cabinets and setting down instruments. When she opened the curtain the cart was no longer visible until later when the dr needed it was it rolled from behind the curtain.

My gynecologist has blinds at the windows. No curtains in the room or at the windows.