healing environments in radiotherapy - Agnes van den Berg

Healing Environments in Radiotherapy Project Report
Furthermore, a relatively simple way of providing opportunities to exercise freedom of choice is to
enable patients to adjust their treatment and recovery environment (such as changing the lights or
temperature), their companionship (flexible visiting hours) and the time at which other activities take
place (Silver, 2004; Fouts & Gabay, 2008; Provinciaal Patiënten/Consumenten Platform Utrecht,
2001; Zborowsky & Kreitzer, 2008). At both Martini Ziekenhuis Groningen and UMC St. Radboud,
patients in all rooms can operate the light switch on their own. Even simple measures, such as giving
patients the opportunity to choose ambient music themselves (Joseph & Ulrich 2007) or enabling
patients to take a folding chair and place it where they wish, can improve their feeling of control and
self-esteem (Tudor, 1991, cited in Hansen, 2008). Furthermore, F. de Vos from De Vos
Omgevingspsychologie recommends giving people the option to take their own drinks or snacks
when they feel like it, and give people in the waiting room the option to sit together with others or to
sit alone. At St. Charles Medical Center for instance, each waiting area has several different types of
furniture, so that people can compose their own furniture arrangements. Hence, the hospital does
not force patients to sit in rows in the waiting room, but invites freedom, comfort and individual
character. The picture below is a good example of such a furniture arrangement (figure 31). The red
bench in this case is more suitable for people looking for privacy, while the brown sitting
arrangement in the foreground invites interaction.
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Figure 30: Seating arrangement for choice of privacy or interaction
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