NCT03456895

Assessing Environmental Factors in Healthcare Facilities in Order to Improve the Experience of Patients, Staff, and the Quality of Imaging Procedures

• Status: Unknown
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 15 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Cincinnati · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The purpose of this study is to assess subjects' perceptions of environmental conditions and their preferences, and to expose subjects to varied environmental conditions as well as to assess their perception and feedback to these conditions. Another aim of this study is to explore potential patterns, factors of influence, and factors of reference in relation to the objectively assessed quality of the imagining examination and/or the perception of the patient. Finally, another aim of this study is to explore the feasibility of innovative biofeedback response capturing methodologies and technologies to guide the design of specific clinical investigations or trials.

Detailed description

Tremendous technological advances have occurred in recent years that enable easily controlled lights, sound, temperature, airflow as well as sensatory experiences such as smell or vibrations. While in some fields, these technologies are readily used, their potential application within healthcare environments has not yet been studied. In this study, we want to investigate how environmental factors including light, sound, temperature, smell, and sensatory experiences such as vibration are being perceived by subjects to develop environmental strategies using those components to create a more relaxing, and comforting experience for patients prior, during and after an imaging examination and for staff working in such environments. This data that will also guide to encourage changes of patient staff facility interactions to further improve the healthcare experience and quality of imaging examinations. To get a complete set of data, we plan to include volunteer participants, patients scheduled for imaging examinations, and staff working in the healthcare environment. This study has up to three different components: A, filling out survey forms to learn more about the perception of experience factors B, participating in facility experiences that may expose subjects to different facility factors and will then assess responses using additional survey forms or electronic measurement and data capture devices and C, during an imaging study the environment experience may be altered and assessments will be done to determine how relaxed the subject remains during the imagining study and the degree of motion induced artifacts. Feedback data will be obtained through survey tools as well as available consumer grade wearable devices that can continuously capture physiological parameters such as heart rate, motion, body perspiration and muscle tension. Only participants in the patient, staff, or volunteer populations who are not receiving an MRI imaging examination will participate in utilizing the wearable devices, as the wearable devices are not compatible with the MRI system. Patients receiving a PET/CT examination will be able to utilize a wearable device. For patients scheduled for an imaging examination the findings and perception of environmental factors will be compared with the image quality of the imaging examination and the feedback responses.

Conditions

• Healthcare Facility Environment - Imaging

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Light perception	We will be using Wi-Fi/IP programmable LED lighting systems that will replace conventional lighting systems and may be in canned lights, spot lights, light chains or table lights. These lighting systems can be fully controlled by web based applications on smart phones tablets and computer systems and can be combined with input systems such as switches, motion detection or voice activated. Differences in lighting perception will be explored by varying lighting color and brightness.
OTHER	Sound perception	We will be using Wi-Fi/Bluetooth addressable sound systems that will be linked with sound sources such as media players on smart devices or computer systems. Differences in sound perception will be explored by varying sound types (i.e. different music types, ambient noise, etc.).
OTHER	Smell perception	We will explore the use of consumer grade ventilation systems that can be equipped to distribute packaged scents. Differences in smell perception will be explored by varying the types of scents.
OTHER	Vibration perception	We will explore the use of chairs or blankets that enable subjects to perceive vibrations. An initial implementation will be the use of on relaxing/massage chair that enables the experience of vibration sensation in the back or leg area. We may use also potentially vibration blankets in the arm or neck area. Differences in vibration perception will be explored by varying the location, frequency, etc. of vibrations with the subject being placed in a chair on an imaging table/bed.
OTHER	Voice activation	We will explore the use and linkage of voice activation system such as Amazon Echo, Google home or similar devices. Some participants may be asked to use voice activations to verbally select and/or change the environmental settings according to their preferences. We are evaluating the feasibility of voice activation with the imaging environment.

Timeline

• Start date: 2017-12-05
• Primary completion: 2024-12-31
• Completion: 2024-12-31
• First posted: 2018-03-07
• Last updated: 2024-01-18

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States