Reimagine the ICU: Healthcare Professionals' Perspectives on How Environments (Can) Promote Patient Well-Being

Area of Science:

• Healthcare design
• Patient experience
• Technology in healthcare

Background:

• Evidence-based design principles inform environmental impact on patient well-being.
• Digital technology presents novel opportunities for enhancing indoor environments.
• The specific role of technology in improving intensive care unit (ICU) patient well-being remains under-explored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To understand intensive care unit (ICU) environmental needs and challenges for patient well-being from healthcare professionals' (HCPs) perspective.
• To explore the potential of technology-enabled ICU environments for supporting patient well-being.

Main Methods:

• A two-phase study involving a mixed-method approach with ICU HCPs in four Dutch hospitals.
• Investigated current environmental support for care activities and factors influencing patient experience.
• Conducted a co-creation session with HCPs and health technology experts to identify technology-driven solutions.

Main Results:

• Identified nine negative and eight positive patient experience factors.
• HCPs found patient emotional care challenging due to workload and environmental limitations.
• Developed nine technology-enabled solutions and four guiding strategies for holistic, personalized patient care.

Conclusions:

• Patient experience is multifactorial, requiring integrated approaches for well-being.
• ICU environments should be viewed holistically.
• Technology can be leveraged to create healing environments and enhance patient care.