Room for caring: patients' experiences of well-being, relief and hope during serious illness.
OBJECTIVE
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.


METHODS
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.


RESULTS
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.


CONCLUSIONS
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.
Section of Nursing, Health, The Horsens Hospital Research Unit and Medical Department, Aarhus University, Horsens, Denmark.
Connie
C
Timmermann
Section of Nursing, Health, The Horsens Hospital Research Unit, Aarhus University, Horsens, Denmark.
Lisbeth
L
Uhrenfeldt
Institute of Regional Health Research, Lillebaelt Hospital, University of Southern Denmark, Vejle, Denmark.
Regner
R
Birkelund
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D065026:Hope; D006760:Hospitalization; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology*; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D061212:Memory, Episodic; D008875:Middle Aged; D010362:Patients' Rooms; D013472:Sunlight; D013850:Thinking
a view of nature; aesthetic sensory impressions; caring; hope; interviews; patients' rooms; phenomenological-hermeneutic; relief; sunlight; well-being