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Assessment and Communication for People with Disorders of Consciousness
Published on: August 1, 2017
The psychiatric ward as a therapeutic space: systematic review
Constantina Papoulias1, Emese Csipke1, Diana Rose1
1Constantina Papoulias, PhD, Service User Research Enterprise, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London; Emese Csipke, PhD, Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London; Diana Rose, PhD, Susie McKellar, PhD, Service User Research Enterprise, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London; Til Wykes, PhD, Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK.
Background:
Hospital care is still an integral part of mental healthcare services. But the impact of ward design on treatment outcomes is unclear.
Aims:
To review the effects of ward design on patient outcomes and patient and staff well-being.
Method:
A systematic review of literature was carried out on Medline, Embase and PsycINFO. Papers on psychogeriatric and child and adolescent wards were excluded as these necessitate specific safety features.
Results:
Twenty-three papers were identified. No strong causal links between design and clinical outcomes were found. Private spaces and a homely environment may contribute to patient well-being. Different stakeholders may experience ward design in conflicting ways; design has a symbolic and social dimension for patients.
Conclusions:
Data on the impact of design on treatment outcomes are inconclusive. Rigorous randomised controlled trials, qualitative studies and novel methods are called for. Different stakeholders' responses to the ward as a symbolic environment merit further investigation.
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