The Display of Medical Information: Content, Format, and Subjective Experience

To address a gap in the literature by investigating the subjective experience of participants to the form and content of medical information displayed in a healthcare setting.

Artwork can enhance the experience of patients, but much less is known about how individuals react to displays of medical information in the form of posters or pamphlets, especially those about unsettling conditions (e.g., skin cancer).

In a 2 × 2 × 2 between-subjects design, researchers investigated the content of medical information (skin cancer vs. skin care) that was on display in a simulated exam room, whether the form was a pamphlet or a poster, and reason for the visit (routine annual skin check or evaluating a mole) on measures of subjective experience, including anxiety.

Viewing material about skin cancer produced greater anxiety and greater arousal than did viewing material about sunscreen, and given the choice of four images (pamphlet and poster for sunscreen, pamphlet and poster for skin cancer), the sunscreen poster was recommended to improve the patient's experience and lower stress. In terms of display format, posters are judged to provide more visual engagement than are pamphlets.

Exam rooms should offer multiple opportunities for visual engagement without images that produce anxiety. More research is needed to understand the subjective experience of the patient's interaction with the content and format of medical information.