Does Perceived Control Matter in the Outpatient Waiting Room?

Area of Science:

• Environmental psychology
• Healthcare design
• Patient experience

Background:

• Ulrich's theory of supportive design highlights positive distraction and social support.
• Perceived control's role in healthcare environments, particularly outpatient waiting rooms, remains underexplored.
• Existing research provides limited insight into patient desire for control in waiting areas.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the extent to which patients desire control in outpatient waiting rooms.
• To examine the impact of environmental controls on patient stress and satisfaction.
• To understand patient schemas regarding control in healthcare waiting environments.

Main Methods:

• A between-subjects experimental design was employed.
• Participants read scenarios varying the number of patients (1 or 5) and available controls (none, personal, room).
• Key variables measured included stress, environmental satisfaction, perceived control, and control schemas.

Main Results:

• Individual controls positively influenced environmental perception and perceived control.
• Stress levels were not significantly impacted by the availability of controls.
• Participants demonstrated a schema that discourages manipulating waiting room elements.

Conclusions:

• Individual controls, like adjustable lighting, enhance the perceived quality of outpatient waiting rooms.
• Providing patients with personal environmental controls can increase their sense of control.
• Patient expectations and established behavioral schemas influence their interaction with environmental controls.