Abstract
Aim: This study explores how seriously ill hospitalized patients' experience and assign meaning to their patient room. Background: Modern hospitals and the rational underlying care and treatment of today have their emphasis on diagnosis, cure and treatment. Consequently, aesthetics in the patient rooms such as a view of nature or natural light entering the room are often neglected in caring for these patients. Method: A phenomenological-hermeneutic study design was applied and data was collected through multiple qualitative interviews combined with observations at a teaching hospital in Denmark. Twelve patients participated. Findings: The findings show that a view of nature and natural light in the form of sunlight or daylight in the patient room play a significant role in creating positive and supportive thoughts and emotions in the seriously ill patients. Three themes were identified: (i) Experiencing inner peace and an escape from negative thoughts, (ii) Experiencing a positive mood and hope and (iii) Experiencing good memories. Conclusion: Our findings highlight aesthetic sensory impressions in the form of nature sights and natural light in the patient room as a powerful source of well-being, relief and hope for the patients during serious illness. Therefore, these sensory impressions should be thought of as holding palliative potential and should be included as a part of caring for the seriously ill patients.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences |
Volume | 29 |
Issue number | 3 |
Pages (from-to) | 426-434 |
ISSN | 0283-9318 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Sept 2015 |
Bibliographical note
Article first published online: 30 APR 2014Keywords
- A view of nature
- Aesthetic sensory impressions
- Caring
- Hope
- Interviews
- Patients' rooms
- Phenomenological-hermeneutic
- Relief
- Sunlight
- Well-being
- Humans
- Middle Aged
- Thinking
- Memory, Episodic
- Male
- Affect
- Hospitals, Teaching
- Aged, 80 and over
- Adult
- Female
- Interviews as Topic
- Patients' Rooms
- Hospitalization
- Inpatients/psychology
- Denmark
- Aged