Fredrika Sundberg1, Isabell Fridh1, Berit Lindahl1, Ingemar Kåreholt2. 1. Faculty of Caring Science, Work Life and Social Welfare, 1802University of Borås, Sweden. 2. Institute of Gerontology, School of Health and Welfare, 4161Jönköping University, Sweden.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The objective of the research was to study the visitors' experiences of different healthcare environment designs of intensive care unit (ICU) patient rooms. BACKGROUND: The healthcare environment may seem frightening and overwhelming in times when life-threatening conditions affect a family member or close friend and individuals visit the patient in an ICU. A two-bed patient room was refurbished to enhance the well-being of patients and their families according to the principles of evidence-based design (EBD). No prior research has used the Person-centred Climate Questionnaire-Family version (PCQ-F) or the semantic environment description (SMB) in the ICU setting. METHODS: A sample of 99 visitors to critically ill patients admitted to a multidisciplinary ICU completed a questionnaire; 69 visited one of the two control rooms, while 30 visited the intervention room. RESULTS: For the dimension of everydayness in the PCQ-F, a significantly better experience was expressed for the intervention room (p < .030); the dimension regarding the ward climate general was also perceived as higher in the intervention room (p < .004). The factors of pleasantness (p < .019), and complexity (p < 0.049), showed significant differences favoring the intervention room in the SMB, with borderline significance on the modern factor (p < .061). CONCLUSION: Designing and implementing an enriched healthcare environment in the ICU setting increases person-centered care in relation to the patients' visitors. This could lead to better outcomes for the visitors, for example, decreasing post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, but this needs further investigations.
OBJECTIVES: The objective of the research was to study the visitors' experiences of different healthcare environment designs of intensive care unit (ICU) patient rooms. BACKGROUND: The healthcare environment may seem frightening and overwhelming in times when life-threatening conditions affect a family member or close friend and individuals visit the patient in an ICU. A two-bed patient room was refurbished to enhance the well-being of patients and their families according to the principles of evidence-based design (EBD). No prior research has used the Person-centred Climate Questionnaire-Family version (PCQ-F) or the semantic environment description (SMB) in the ICU setting. METHODS: A sample of 99 visitors to critically illpatients admitted to a multidisciplinary ICU completed a questionnaire; 69 visited one of the two control rooms, while 30 visited the intervention room. RESULTS: For the dimension of everydayness in the PCQ-F, a significantly better experience was expressed for the intervention room (p < .030); the dimension regarding the ward climate general was also perceived as higher in the intervention room (p < .004). The factors of pleasantness (p < .019), and complexity (p < 0.049), showed significant differences favoring the intervention room in the SMB, with borderline significance on the modern factor (p < .061). CONCLUSION: Designing and implementing an enriched healthcare environment in the ICU setting increases person-centered care in relation to the patients' visitors. This could lead to better outcomes for the visitors, for example, decreasing post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, but this needs further investigations.
Entities:
Keywords:
academic research; access to nature; design research; evidence-based design (EBD); family-centered care; intensive care unit (ICU); interior design; nursing research; patient room design; patient-/person-centered care