This questionnaire was created to gather information on how people react to healthcare environment.  The targeted audience was the general public.

The main participating age group ranged from 18 to 24 years old, mostly female, with 29.63% being male participants. Their occupation varied from students to project managers.

When asked to choose one or more emotions that could better describe how they felt about being an in-patient 68% reported feeling anxious and 52% depressed and stressed. When asked to explain why, they referred to the stark clinical look and feel of the space, and bad clinical odours. Fear of the unknown and uncertainty of the visit outcome as well as the unpleasant memories related to bad experiences or death of a relative also backed up their negative opinions. These results did not surprise me as they were similar to the emotions expressed by patients that I had the opportunity to meet over the years whilst working in the hospital. A minority of 8% of participants reported feeling calm and relaxed as they felt that they could trust the healthcare professionals. When asked if negative stressors such as bad odours, fear as well as sleep deprivation and anxiety, due to noise could affect a patient’s recovery time 92.31% responded ‘Yes’ and 7.69% ‘No’. When asked to elaborate the consensus was that patients exposed to negative and unhappy environments may take longer to bounce back.

 

“Because you do not feel yourself - they change your perspective of things and thoughts you wouldn't normally feel”

(Female survey participant, 2015)

 

 Statements, such as the above mentioned, can be used as evidence that stressors in healthcare can delay a patient’s recovery time.

When asked to chose a space that would better aid with their recovery 24 out of the 27 participants picked the modern single room. Unlike the current NHS bay beds, which offer patients a false sense of privacy, this was a single room that had maximum light exposure, and offered a large view of the outdoor garden.

 

“Calm colours and nice interiors which make the patients feel like they’re in a hotel, rather than the pale and depressing colours found in most of the hospitals. That might be the reason why patients feel anxious and depressed”

( Female survey participant, 2015)

                      

The privacy offered by an individual room, the aesthetic feel (large space, calm colour scheme and a window next to the bed) were the points that most captivated the participants.

Privacy and infection control are the main elements mentioned in the answers. In addition, the importance of upkeeping dignity is also highlighted.

To assess the relevance of a surrounding in a patient’s recovery, I asked the participants if they believed that the incorporation of indoor and outdoor green spaces, in healthcare establishments, could be of significance. Furthermore, I endeavoured to ascertain if it would aid with relieving staff stress levels. The outcome was as follows:

 

• 85.19% answered yes and explained that green spaces allow them to feel calm and relaxed, refreshed and positive.

• 14.81% disagreed as they would rather have a nice room to recover with no trivial excesses. Out of aforementioned percentage, some still believe a green space could be of benefit, however, NHS money would be better spent on improving other aspects of care such as staff numbers.

 

This questionnaire was really helpful in getting an insight on how a large number of people associate healthcare institutions with strong negative emotions. Also, it allowed me to understand how much a change in surrounding could affect their health.