In this issue, we will discuss environmental placebos.
What is the guise of your hospital?
And do you ever decide which hospital to go to based on those guises?
There have been studies that have shown that even if the actual medical services provided are the same, the effects are different just because the environment is different.I will introduce the results of a study that cuts them off, calling them environmental placebos.
Contents of the study
Similar to the placebo effect in medical services, people seem to expect the quality of treatment based on external stimuli.
A quantitative survey (N= 851) focused on health-related issues to gain insight into the impact of the environment in which services are provided on people's judgments and behaviors in four groups before and after the renovation of a rehabilitation clinic. As part of the overall modernization of the clinic, the entrance, lobby, and some patient rooms were renovated.
The lobby will feature a service counter and coffee bar as well as brighter colors and new flooring materials to create a more modern and clean space.
The results reveal that patients appreciate the modernized clinic and the intention to change health behaviors and food quality.These differences cannot be directly attributed to building changes alone.
Thus, as with medical placebos, what we call the design placebo effect explains the improved ratings of aspects that were not directly changed because of the intervention.
Other important effects can be attributed to the winter and summer climate.
During the summer months, the waiting room, ambiance, patient rooms, and staff were rated much higher.
Therefore, aesthetic attributes such as architectural design and weather considerations may act as perceptual placebos that directly influence decision outcomes and behavioral intentions.
Further research is needed to match specific design and general environmental attributes with their effects on patients and to investigate the strength of these effects.
Commentary
The results of this study suggest that the location where health care services are provided also has an impact on the effectiveness of treatment.
Furthermore, the results of this study were limited by the fact that the study was conducted in an orthopedic surgery center and the patients were rheumatology patients.This means that the results cannot be said to be the same for all hospitals, but it also shows that there is an environmental placebo effect.
In the results of the study, patients' expectations of new rooms tended to increase, but their expectations of doctors decreased, indicating that new waiting rooms are not desirable.
One of the reasons for the above results on doctor expectations and waiting rooms was that patients may have perceived that they would have to wait longer. The reason for the above results for the waiting room was that they felt that they would have to wait longer.Longer waiting times are not desirable for patients, and there were also concerns about a decreased sense of belonging.
This is the negative side of the environmental nocebo effect, and it may indicate the advantages and disadvantages of retrofitting.
Rehn J, Schuster K. Clinic Design as Placebo-Using Design to Promote Healing and Support Treatments. Behav Sci (Basel). 2017;7(4):77. published 2017 Nov 9. doi:10.3390/bs7040077
Conclusion
Although not applicable to all environments in the medical field, renovating the environment can have
Benefits
Increased positive patient attitudes and expectations about treatment
Disadvantages
The renovated design may backfire depending on the patient's preferences.
The sense of belonging is reduced, and some patients feel that they have to wait longer.Some people feel that they have to wait longer than others.
As for the design of the building, there are some things that make me wonder. I have seen some medical facilities that are far from convenient.
I have seen some medical facilities that are far from convenient, but I have also felt an inexplicable sense of uneasiness when the facilities are too old.
