Why do hospitals have double doors?

Day after day, hundreds of people come and go through the doors of a hospital. Patients get the treatment they need, and in many cases, lives are saved. Time is a crucial factor in a hospital, and their layout is meticulously designed to maintain efficiency. This is why double acting doors are so vital in a hospital; for healthcare professionals to carry out their vital services, they need to work in an environment they can easily move in.

Double acting doors, or high traffic doors, are designed to swing two ways instead of one. That kind of movement is crucial when transporting patients and the life-saving equipment nurses and doctors use every day. But how can a door help doctors and nurses save lives?

GREATER ACCESSIBILITY

Double acting doors can easily be opened from both sides. This is especially helpful with at-risk patients or patients with mobility issues. The door can be opened (and unlocked) from the exterior as well as the interior. Hospital staff are thus able to quickly reach patients in distress or during an emergency. In some cases, patients may have locked themselves in or barricaded the door. With access from both sides, the hazard is drastically reduced.

IMPROVED MOVEMENT

Time is a crucial factor in a hospital. Doctors and nurses work at an incredibly fast pace, as in some cases, a few seconds can mean life or death for a patient in critical condition. Double acting doors allow healthcare professionals to easily move between rooms without needing to slow down, and better improve through traffic in both directions. Double acting doors can easily be pushed open with the end of a gurney or the back of a hand in emergencies.

SUPERIOR DURABILITY

In a hospital, doors have to stand up to continuous use. With so many doctors and their patients coming through day after day, these doors face constant strain. There is no time to deal with a broken or faulty door in an emergency, so hospital doors must stay operation, even with so many shoulders and gurneys barging through.

Double acting doors are designed to take the impact and keep swinging, no matter what. Their durable design ensures that they are ready for action, day in, day out.

Hospital staff work hard to help others. To do so, every component inside a hospital must work together—doors included. Double acting doors help save lives by allowing doctors and their patients fast, fluid movement all day long and standing up to the rigors of the environment.