Stroke Patients’ Experiences in an Adaptive Healing Room in a Stroke Rehabilitation Unit

Objectives: This study evaluated the user experiences (UX) of stroke patients residing in the adaptive healing room (AHR) and compared them to the UX of patients residing in standard private rooms (SPRs). Background: Healing environments in healthcare settings can promote patients’ healing processes, outcomes, and psychological well-being. The AHR was designed as a healing environment for stroke patients and has been previously evaluated in laboratory settings. This study was the first to evaluate it in its intended context—a stroke rehabilitation unit. Methods: The UX of 10 patients residing in the AHR and 15 patients residing in SPRs were collected via structured interviews with a set of open-ended questions and analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. Results: The AHR design features (orientation screen, skylight, and nature view) were rated positively by most patients. The skylight emerged as the least favorable. Responses to open-ended questions revealed that UX may be further improved if patients have more control over some of the settings (e.g., light intensity and nature views), and if the system allowed for more stimulation for patients at later stages of their recovery. Additionally, the results suggest that patients in the AHR have better UX than patients in the SPRs. Conclusion: The AHR has the potential to improve UX in the stroke rehabilitation unit. Patient feedback can be used to refine the AHR before carrying out clinical trials to assess the effect of the AHR on patient outcomes (e.g., sleep, mood, and length of stay) and stroke recovery.