Music in Waiting Rooms: A Literature Review

Virtual Waiting Room: The New Narrative of Waiting in Oncology Care

This conceptual study introduces the "virtual waiting room," an innovative, interactive, web-based platform designed to enhance the waiting experience in oncology by providing personalized, educational, and supportive content. Central to our study is the implementation of the circular entry model, which allows for non-linear navigation of health information, empowering patients to access content based on their immediate needs and interests. This approach respects the individual journeys of patients, acknowledging the diverse pathways through which they seek understanding and manage their health. The virtual waiting room is designed not only to support patients but also to facilitate stronger communication and shared understanding between patients, caregivers, and families. By providing a shared digital space, the platform enables caregivers and family members to access the same information and resources, thereby promoting transparency and collective knowledge. This shared access is crucial in managing the emotional complexities of oncology care, where effective communication can significantly impact treatment outcomes and patient well-being. Furthermore, the study explores how the circular entry model within the virtual waiting room can enhance patient autonomy and engagement by offering customized interactions based on user feedback and preferences. This personalized approach aims to reduce anxiety, improve health literacy, and prepare patients more effectively for clinical interactions. By transforming passive waiting into active engagement, the virtual waiting room turns waiting time into a meaningful, informative period that supports both the psychological and informational needs of patients and their support networks.

Assessing Consciousness in Patients With Disorders of Consciousness Using a Musical Stimulation Paradigm and Verifiable Criteria

Numerous studies have shown that musical stimulation can activate corresponding functional brain areas. Electroencephalogram (EEG) activity during musical stimulation can be used to assess the consciousness states of patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC). In this study, a musical stimulation paradigm and verifiable criteria were used for consciousness assessment. Twenty-nine participants (13 healthy subjects, 6 patients in a minimally conscious state (MCS) and 10 patients in a vegetative state (VS)) were recruited, and EEG signals were collected while participants listened to preferred and relaxing music. Fusion features based on differential entropy (DE), common spatial pattern (CSP), and EEG-based network pattern (ENP) features were extracted from EEG signals, and a convolutional neural network-long short-term memory (CNN-LSTM) model was employed to classify preferred and relaxing music.The results showed that the average classification accuracy for healthy subjects reached 85.58%. For two of the patients in the MCS group, the classification accuracies reached 78.18% and 66.14%, and they were diagnosed with emergence from MCS (EMCS) two months later. The accuracies of three patients in the VS group were 58.18%, 64.32% and 62.05%, with two patients showing slight increases in scale scores. Our study suggests that musical stimulation could be an effective method for consciousness detection, with significant diagnostic implications for patients with DOC.

Enhancing patient well-being in oncology waiting rooms: a pilot field experiment on the emotional impact of virtual forest therapy

Introduction

This study explores the emotional impact of virtual forest therapy delivered through audio-visual recordings shown to patients in the oncology waiting rooms, focusing on whether simulated forest walks can positively influence patients' emotional states compared to traditional waiting room stimuli.

Methods

The study involved 117 participants from a diverse group of oncology patients in the outpatient clinic waiting room at the Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute. Using a partially randomized controlled trial design, the study assessed basic emotional dimensions-valence and arousal-as well as specific psychological states such as thought control, sadness, anxiety, and pain. This assessment used the Self-Assessment Manikin and the modified Emotional Thermometer before and after participants watched three video types (forest, sea, news). Baseline stress levels were measured using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6).

Results

Participants exposed to forest and sea videos reported significant improvements in emotional valence and reduced arousal, suggesting a calming and uplifting effect. No significant changes were observed in the control and news groups. Secondary outcomes related to anxiety, sadness, and pain showed no significant interaction effects, though small but significant main effects of time on these variables were noted.

Discussion

The findings suggest that videos of forest and sea can be a beneficial intervention in the oncology waiting rooms by enhancing patients' emotional well-being. This pilot study underscores the potential for integrating virtual mental health support elements into healthcare settings to improve patient care experience.

Background Music's Impact on Patients Waiting in Surgery and Radiology Clinics

OBJECTIVES

To assess the impact of different types of background music on patients' anxiety and perceptions in a healthcare setting.

BACKGROUND

An overwhelming number of studies in the West have been conducted on the use of background music in reducing patients' anxiety and their perception of hospitals. Despite the optimism for Western classical music in such settings, evidence documenting the successful use of this genre of music in waiting rooms across other people groups has, thus far, been inconclusive.

METHOD

A single-blind randomized study in which a total of 303 participants were recruited from both surgery and radiology clinics using a between-groups experimental design. Patients were seated in the waiting room for at least 20 min while music (Western classical, lo-fi) or no music was playing in the background. Participants were then required to complete a questionnaire that consisted of a shortened 6-item State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-6), and eight questions relating to overall perceptions of the hospital.

RESULTS

The results from both clinics revealed that patients in the no music condition rated themselves as feeling significantly less anxious than those in either of the two music conditions. Patients' perceptions of the hospital's overall service and expectations were higher in the no music condition.

CONCLUSIONS

Firstly, the choice of background music should match the differing pace of the day; for example, a more upbeat song would better fit the mood of a busy clinic, leading to a more "congruent" atmosphere. Secondly, playing background music in a "task-oriented" and highly charged/anxious environment may increase arousal levels, which in turn could result in negative perceptions of the hospital and an increase in anxiety among patients. Finally, music is a cultural product and music that primes certain beliefs in one culture may not have similar effects among other people groups. Hence, specific curated playlists are necessary to convey "intentions" to different people groups.

Does Perceived Control Matter in the Outpatient Waiting Room?

OBJECTIVE

The study examined perceived control in the context of the outpatient waiting room to further understand the extent to which patients want to exercise control in that environment. Background: In Ulrich's theory of supportive design, research shows more evidence for positive distraction and social support than for perceived control; its role in outpatient settings has not been examined.

METHOD

This between-subjects experimental design, in which participants read a written scenario varying the number of patients waiting (1 or 5) and the control available (no information provided, personal controls, and room controls), examined the effect of those variables on stress, satisfaction with the environment, extent of perceived control, and participants' schema of who should control the environment of the waiting room.

RESULTS

Having individual controls available in the waiting room favorably impacted the perception of the environment but did not significantly impact stress. The data show that people likely have a schema of appropriate behavior in a doctor's waiting room, which does not encourage manipulation of environmental elements.

CONCLUSIONS

In the doctor's office waiting room, having individual controls, such as on-off knobs on table lamps next to each chair, can improve evaluation of the environment and increase people's perception of control.

Study on value-based design of healthcare facilities: Based on review of the literature in the USA and Japan

With limited medical resources, it is of great significance for countries all over the world to explore architectural design methods to enhance the value of medical facilities. Therefore, it is very necessary to carry out an extensive international comparison. In order to grasp the research trend of healthcare facilities in the world, this paper conducts co-occurrence analysis, cluster analysis, and trend analysis of the keywords of 334 English articles and 153 Japanese articles related to healthcare facilities published in important academic journals in the USA and Japan in the past 15 years. We not only compare the similarities and differences in healthcare facility research between the USA and Japan, but also explore the reasons for these differences. It is found that by introducing three kinds of value variables, such as time, space, and behavior, we can not only well explain the difference in the solution of healthcare facilities in the USA and Japan to reduce medical costs but also provide new ideas for architectural design to enhance the value of hospitals. Based on the above analysis, a conceptual framework of value-based design of healthcare facilities that combines the advantages of the USA and Japan is proposed in this paper.