Emergency department are unique setting for privacy in the health care industry. Maintaining patient privacy in the hectic confines of the emergency department has always been a dilemma and concern. When the federal government raised the stakes in 2003, when the privacy requirements of the HIPAA when into effect, healthcare professionals had to make a reasonable efforts to the disclosure of health care information.
Polytronix, Inc.® Film and Glass Division found a problem in the healthcare industry and Polyvision® Smart Glass windows are the solution. The problem is that patients are often getting their recovery time interrupted by healthcare staff coming into their rooms to check their viral signs.
The PDLC switchable privacy glass application can be used in many innovative ways. Here is a summary of some of the main features and benefits of using PDLC switchable privacy glass:
As previously noted, one of the most common misconceptions relates to clarity of the PDLC technology because of customers’ preexisting expectation that the optical clarity will be the same as with regular float glass. That level of clarity is not possible with PDLC products, however, as they contain liquid crystal materials that optically manipulate light; therefore, glass products with PDLC technology naturally have some level of haziness to them (even regular glass has some haze, albeit at much more extreme lighting conditions). This haziness effect with PDLC glass products is magnified at larger viewing angles and with certain high-intensity lighting conditions. This, however, does not detract from its wide-ranging use as a practical alternative.
Smart Glass varies its light transmission properties under light, thermal, and electrical influences. Smart Glass has two broad categories: passive and active. The passive subcategory, includes thermochromic and photochromic. The active subcategory, includes electrochromic (EC), suspended particle devices (SPD), and polymer dispersed liquid crystal(PDLC).
Insulated Glass Units are made up of two or more lites of glass with an airspace between them. The two lites are separated around the border of the glass by a spacer, which is then sealed together with the lites to create one unit. By having a laminated inboard, an insulated glass unit can also have the functionality and style of Polyvision® Switchable Privacy Glass.
Also known as Insulated Glass or IG units, insulated glass is most commonly used to control heat transfer. The air space in between the lites of glass helps keep heat out in the warmer months and heat in during the cooler months. When a low-e coating is combined with insulated glass, air-to-air heat transmissions are lowered even more.
