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Study Explores Impact of Patient Care Environment

woman_watching_carechannel_no_dropshadowMarch 18, 2015 — Last year, Susan Mazer and Dallas Smith, founders of Healing HealthCare Systems, made a research donation to the Samueli Institute to fund a study looking at how patients make meaning of their personal care environment and how media affects that experience. The research team is now past the IRB process and is beginning to collect data.

Principal Investigator Bonnie Sekaleris reports that Samueli is collaborating with staff at West Virginia University (WVU) Healthcare to conduct a mixed methods research study to 1) deepen the understanding of the patient care environment as a healing space; 2) explore how patients engage with the physical environment; and 3) determine the meaning that patients assign to their experience with the physical environment.

WVU Healthcare is collecting actual patient accounts about their experience with the physical environment. The current construction of a new patient tower will benefit from the information generated by this study as design decisions are being made.

WVU is a C.A.R.E. Channel client and the interview process includes reference to The C.A.R.E. Channel in a myriad of ways, with a concern for maintaining objectivity.

The results of the study are expected to be released in late 2015.