Contribution of Universal design to healthscape by the study of visually impaired outpatients : the impact on service convenience, customer intimacy and multi-sensory experience for all.

Abstract

The quality of medical care and the reputation of the caring teams is certainly a crucial point for healthcare organisations. However, the accessibility, the patient satisfaction and the patient experience in healthcare settings are not sufficiently taken into account.

The purpose of this work, in reference to Universal design, is to define the ways of improving the healthscape, i.e. the healthcare environment where the medical service is given and where patients interact with the medical staff, in order to improve the service convenience, the patient intimacy and the multi-sensory experience for all.

Visually impaired patients can be considered as “experts” to create servicescapes that are convenient to the greatest number of potential users through the involvement of the five senses. Two cohorts of six visually impaired outpatients consulting at two hospitals in the Liège area (CHR and CHU) were observed, interviewed and invited to share their feelings and thoughts about the convenience of the journey from the hospital access facilities to the Ophthalmology department. The difficulties they encountered with the healthscape and the senses which can be used to cope with their visual deficiencies in reference to Universal design and the factors that influence their perception of intimacy in hospital were discussed.

Unsurprisingly, the registration process and the route signage (wayfinding), two steps to be performed in "self service", were reported as the most disabling and the less convenient. In contrast, the Ophthalmology department is considered as the most convenient location. It is also the location where intimacy expectations are the highest.

On the basis of the results, we have been able to propose healthscape improvements in order to promote the use of other senses than sight, and consequently to strengthen the autonomy of the visually impaired patient inside the hospital. The improvement and enrichment of the hospital physical environment will reinforce, for all patients and visitors, the service convenience, their perception of intimacy and create a new multi-sensory experience.