Patient attitudes to features of a medical examination room in a Thai hospital

Abstract

© Common Ground Research Networks, Tanut Waroonkun, All Rights Reserved. Although considerable research has been done investigating patient attitude to the “waiting room” environment of a hospital, little has been conducted regarding attitudes to the “medical examination room.” Entering the examination room can be a source of anxiety for the patient. This study reports on patients’ attitudes to aspects of the exam room experience in a major hospital in Thailand. Patient attitudes were assessed using a Likert style survey. Scale items covered features associated with initial impression of the exam room and also those features associated with the successful outcome of the patient consultation. Results were processed on an item-by-item analysis. Several areas of patient concern were highlighted: room layout, lighting, cleanliness. Recommendations are made for hospital design and management specialists.