First-of-its-Kind Catheterization Lab Gives Patients Greater Control over Environment to Help Ease Anxiety

A new catheterization lab suite is an interactive, people-focused healthcare environment that combines design and technology to create a more comfortable experience for patients and staff, potentially increasing operational effectiveness.

Philips Medical Systems (Best, The Netherlands) announced the installation of its 50th Ambient Experience suite at Fairview Hospital in Cleveland, OH, USA. The catheterization (cath) lab suite installed at Fairview, one of the hospitals in the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic Health System,

In addition to Fairview Hospital, The Villages Regional Hospital (The Villages, FL, USA), and the King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center (KFSH; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) have completed installations of Ambient Experience cath lab suites in January 2008. Royal Charité hospital (Berlin, Germany) also completed an Ambient Experience magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) suite installation.

Philips' Ambient Experience integrates architecture, design, and enabling technologies, such as lighting, sound, projection, and radio frequency identification (RFID), to allow patients to personalize their environment and wrap themselves in a relaxing ambience. By calming the patient, Ambient Experience can help procedures progress more smoothly, making the clinician's job easier. The design also eliminates unnecessary physical barriers in the imaging suite for better patient and staff interaction.

"Entering the cath lab for a heart procedure can be very scary for patients, so allowing them to choose the lighting and sound to create an environment such as a beach setting, can help to put them at ease with their surroundings,” said Victor Hall, vice president of cardiac services at Fairview Hospital. "The lighting actually makes our lab appear bigger, which helps to calm patients and alleviate feelings of claustrophobia. In addition, the Ambient lab has created a more comfortable and soothing environment for our doctors and nurses to perform procedures.”

The Philips Ambient Experience was conceived on the premise of providing a positive environment for patients and healthcare professionals to enhance clinical processes and patient care. As part of the company's focus on ways people and technology can interact in a more comfortable, natural way, Philips placed special attention to patient-friendly environments for healthcare facilities. By incorporating leading-edge design elements, advanced medical technology, sophisticated lighting, and consumer-friendly electronics, the Philips Ambient Experience creates a soothing and pleasing environment for hospital patients of all ages.

Philips works with hospitals and healthcare facilities to customize Ambient design features around their specific desires and needs. "With four Ambient Experience installations completed in the first month of the year alone, it's clear that Philips' patient-focused approach is gaining traction around the world,” commented Steve Rusckowski, executive vice president and chief executive officer, Philips Healthcare. "Ambient Experience is a great way for hospitals to differentiate themselves by demonstrating their commitment to their patients and staff. It also offers tangible benefits, including increased patient throughput resulting from a streamlined workflow.”

For children, Philips also provides the KittenScanner, a miniature computed tomography (CT) system that is an educational tool to help explain in a playful way how a CT scanner works. Children select a toy, place it on a miniature exam table, and slide it into the KittenScanner to learn why the toy is ‘sick.' Animation appears on a screen that shows children what doctors are looking for inside the toy and tells them a story about each one. The kid-sized scanner was designed by Philips to provide children with an opportunity to use a scanner and learn how it works to help ease their minds about their own exam and assist in reducing anxiety levels.

In 2005, the world's first Ambient Experience suite opened at Advocate Lutheran General Children's Hospital (Park Ridge, IL, USA). This Ambient Experience pediatric radiology suite was designed to create a soothing environment that enables children to relax while undergoing CT scans. The overall goal of the design was to make children more comfortable while potentially reducing the need for sedation and repeat examinations.

Up to now, 50 hospitals have installed the Philips Ambient Experience including 31 in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, six in Asia Pacific, 11 in Europe, and two in the Middle East. There are several types of Ambient Experience suites installed globally, including MR, CT, mammography, catheterization (cath) lab suites, and outpatient imaging centers. Philips continues to evaluate other settings where Ambient Experience may deliver added benefits to care.


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