Assessing Environmental Factors in Healthcare Facilities in Order to Improve the Experience of Patients, Staff, and the Quality of Imaging Procedures

Tremendous technological advances have occurred in recent years that enable easily controlled
lights, sound, temperature, airflow as well as sensatory experiences such as smell or
vibrations. While in some fields, these technologies are readily used, their potential
application within healthcare environments has not yet been studied. In this study, we want
to investigate how environmental factors including light, sound, temperature, smell, and
sensatory experiences such as vibration are being perceived by subjects to develop
environmental strategies using those components to create a more relaxing, and comforting
experience for patients prior, during and after an imaging examination and for staff working
in such environments. This data that will also guide to encourage changes of patient staff
facility interactions to further improve the healthcare experience and quality of imaging
examinations. To get a complete set of data, we plan to include volunteer participants,
patients scheduled for imaging examinations, and staff working in the healthcare environment.
This study has up to three different components: A, filling out survey forms to learn more
about the perception of experience factors B, participating in facility experiences that may
expose subjects to different facility factors and will then assess responses using additional
survey forms or electronic measurement and data capture devices and C, during an imaging
study the environment experience may be altered and assessments will be done to determine how
relaxed the subject remains during the imagining study and the degree of motion induced
artifacts. Feedback data will be obtained through survey tools as well as available consumer
grade wearable devices that can continuously capture physiological parameters such as heart
rate, motion, body perspiration and muscle tension. Only participants in the patient, staff,
or volunteer populations who are not receiving an MRI imaging examination will participate in
utilizing the wearable devices, as the wearable devices are not compatible with the MRI
system. Patients receiving a PET/CT examination will be able to utilize a wearable device.
For patients scheduled for an imaging examination the findings and perception of
environmental factors will be compared with the image quality of the imaging examination and
the feedback responses.

Inclusion Criteria:

Volunteer population:

- Male and female volunteers above the age of 18 who are able to give an informed consent
or have a legal guardian able to give informed consent on their behalf

Staff population:

- Male and female staff at the Ohio State University above the age of 18 who are able to
give informed consent

Patient population:

- Male and female patients greater than or equal to 18 years of age able to give
informed consent or have a guardian able to give informed consent on their behalf

- Patients must have an imaging study such as an MRI, PET/CT, or CT scheduled to be
performed at the Wright Center facility at Martha Morehouse

Exclusion Criteria:

- Unable to communicate in English

- Subjects that are incapable of giving informed consent or that do not have a legal
guardian to give informed consent on their behalf.

- Prisoners.