Healthcare environment design and patient experience

The design of healthcare environments has been shown to produce positive effects for patient outcomes, particularly in mental healthcare. However, relatively little is known about patient experience of design within physical healthcare environments.

In this study, fourteen cancer patients were interviewed about their experiences of using a newly built cancer centre that incorporates art and design.

Grounded theory methodology provided a framework for the analysis of results and the construction of a theoretical model which represents a first attempt at explaining the relationship between healthcare environments and patients with respect to emotional wellbeing. Results show that central aspects of this particular healthcare environment – orientation, physical aspects of design, and atmosphere – were not like a hospital and these led to diverse patient experiences depending on the individual context, in other words the personal histories and preferences that patients brought. Implications for research and clinical practice, including the benefits of drawing upon helpful aspects of environments as part of a holistic approach to treatment, are discussed.