Environmental quality indicators for day-hospitals

Abstract

This article presents the results of exploratory visits made to 31 day-hospital and chemotherapy units in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Florianópolis. The aim of this study was to determine key aspects of environmental quality and patients' perception of belonging to that space. Direct observations and semi-structured interviews were carried out, focusing on organizational, perceptual, behavioral, and environmental aspects. The study was based on the concept of positive distractions, which is interpreted as an environment that supports an active attitude by the patients, in order to allow them to divert their thoughts from the treatment process and pain. The visits confirmed that the day-hospital environments are not usually prepared to provide activities that interest patients. Moreover, environmental attributes considered to be important by the patients were identified, such as privacy, control of environmental conditions, spatial arrangement variability and multiplicity. Such results may contribute to humanize the hospital setting. The paper also discusses the possibility of day-hospital units becoming an extension of the places that individuals experience in their daily lives, allowing uses that are part of their routine.