Patient‐friendly hospital environments: exploring the patients’ perspective

Abstract

Objective To investigate the perceptions and attitudes of patients to the built environments of NHS Trust hospitals, in order to inform design excellence so as to make future hospitals places and spaces responsive to patient needs.Design An exploratory study of patients perceptions based on qualitative semi-structured personal interviews.Setting and participants Fifty one-to-one interviews held with hospital in-patients across the four directorates of surgery, medicine, care of the elderly and maternity at Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Trust, Salford, UK.Results The research found that there was much similarity in the priorities, issues and concerns raised by patients in each of the four directorates. Patients perceived the built environment of the hospital as a supportive environment. Their accounts in each area pointed to the significance of the factors that immediately impacted on them and their families. Patients identified having a need for personal space, a homely welcoming atmosphere, a supportive environment, good physical design, access to external areas and provision of facilities for recreation and leisure. Responses suggest that patient attitudes and perceptions to the built environment of hospital facilities relates to whether the hospital provides a welcoming homely space for themselves and their visitors that promotes health and wellbeing.Conclusions The findings have important implications for capital development teams, clinical staff, managers and NHS Estates personnel. Although the study has immediate relevance for Salford Royal Hospitals Trust, findings and recommendations reported provide NHS Estates and other relevant stakeholders with evidencebased knowledge and understanding of patients' perceptions and expectations of and preferences for particular facilities and estates provision in NHS hospitals.

Design indicators for better accommodation environments in hospitals: inpatients’ perceptions

“…This multidimensional structure matches the findings from previous investigations on patient satisfaction, the closely related topic of research to the one described here (Douglas and Douglas, 2004;Hutton and Richardson, 1995). This research also confirms the hypothesis, from a Chinese perspective, that there exists a positive relationship between patients' perception and their overall evaluation of the role of physical environments in their care.…”

Users' views of hospital environmental quality: Validation of the Perceived Hospital Environment Quality Indicators (PHEQIs)

“…For instance, the recent Private Finance Initiative program of hospital building in the UK has been accompanied by a vigorous debate over what constitutes good hospital design for different stakeholders (Gesler et al, 2004). Accordingly, the need to investigate the perceptions and attitudes of users (i.e., patients and staff) of the healthcare built environments and to provide them the opportunity to participate in the design process is being emphasized (e.g., Douglas & Douglas, 2004;Gesler et al, 2004). Many hospital designs have been based primarily on expert discourses that emphasize efficiency in terms of costs and clinical functionality; that is, only the visions of administrators, architects, construction engineers, policy-makers, and politicians were taken into account (Gesler et al, 2004).…”

The dichotomy of the application of a systems approach in UK healthcare the challenges and priorities for implementation

“…Research suggests that there is a link between the environment of hospitals and patient health and wellbeing and there is some evidence that the built environment can influence the healing process and have a direct impact on patient outcomes (including levels of anxiety and stress) (Douglas and Douglas, 2004). Harris et al (2002) whether patient feels that they are being overheard when communicating private information) and general level of comfort and well-being of the patient whilst in the care environment.…”