The Impact of the Hospital Environment: Understanding the experience of the patient journey

A hospital visit is often an anxious and uncertain event for patients and
their relatives. Patients are often concerned about a diagnosis and/or the
treatment of their disease in an outpatient or inpatient setting. In these
hospital settings, the impact of the environment on patients is still not
well understood. Knowledge regarding the inuence of the hospital
environment on patients is essential for facilitating the quality of health
care. Understanding the experience of patients will allow designers and
decision-makers in hospitals to positively inuence the well-being of
patients.

The aim of this thesis was to gain an improved understanding about a
more holistic experience and well-being of patients at specic focal
points of the entire patient journey from the arrival, to the diagnosis, and
to the actual treatment in a hospital. For example, results showed that
patients sometimes experience diculties in finding their way to an
outpatient clinic, that nature projection during a CT-scan can reduce
anxiety, and that (the opportunity of) interaction with other patients is a
pleasant distraction or, on the contrary, an invasion of their own privacy.
Understanding patients' experiences during the patient journey enables
hospitals to make more informed decisions about space and services
which enables us to improve experiences and well-being of patients in
hospitals.

This thesis emphasizes the relations between the hospital environment
and the psychosocial and physical well-being of patients. The results
show that it is of great importance to listen carefully to patients’
experiences and needs when designing a hospital as many of the results
showed individual dierences with patients that emphasize that one size
does not t all. The well-being of patients in future hospitals can be
improved by aligning the hospital environment with individual patient
characteristics, needs, and preferences.