Going to the hospital is not something people look forward to – it’s a time when they may feel concerned and vulnerable.
Research has shown that hospital design can be used to create a more reassuring environment, improving the way patients feel during a variety of processes, including scanning procedures.
As part of our research initiatives, we focused on four key experiences that can be impacted by the clinical environment.
Uncomfortable
Patients can feel anxious and intimidated, unsure of what will happen next and concerned about the medical condition that brought them to the hospital.
Lonely
Patients may not have visual contact with clinical staff during some procedures. At the same time, they may be separated from family and loved ones, resulting in feelings of isolation.
Impersonal
An individual may feel like "just a number" with no control over what’s happening.
Slow
Hospital procedures can be time consuming and staffing shortages can contribute to long wait times, resulting in stress for clinicians and patients alike.
control in the patient’s hands and making them an active participant. The more pleasant sensory info you can send to your brain, the more it blocks out frightening sensations from the situation you’re in. Ambient Experience helps with that."
- Kenneth Gorfinkle, Ph.D. ,
Assistant Clinical Professor of Medical Psychology at
Columbia University, New York