Medical equipment is implemented in highly complex hospital environments, such as operating rooms, in hospitals around the world. In operating rooms (ORs), technological equipment is used for surgical activities and activities in support of surgeries. The implementation of government policies in hospitals has resulted in varying implementation activities for (medical) equipment. These result in varying lead times and success rates. An integral and holistic protocol for implementation does not yet exist. In this study, we introduce a protocol for the implementation of (medical) equipment in ORs that consists of implementation factors and implementation activities. Factors and activities are based on data from a systematic literature review and an explorative survey among surgical support staff on factors for the successful implementation of technological and (medical) equipment in ORs. The protocol consists of five factors and related implementation activities: the establishment of a project plan, organisational preparation, technological preparation, maintenance, and training.
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A hospital visit is often an anxious and uncertain event for patients andtheir relatives. Patients are often concerned about a diagnosis and/or thetreatment of their disease in an outpatient or inpatient setting. In thesehospital settings, the impact of the environment on patients is still notwell understood. Knowledge regarding the inuence of the hospitalenvironment on patients is essential for facilitating the quality of healthcare. Understanding the experience of patients will allow designers anddecision-makers in hospitals to positively inuence the well-being ofpatients.The aim of this thesis was to gain an improved understanding about amore holistic experience and well-being of patients at specic focalpoints of the entire patient journey from the arrival, to the diagnosis, andto the actual treatment in a hospital. For example, results showed thatpatients sometimes experience diculties in finding their way to anoutpatient clinic, that nature projection during a CT-scan can reduceanxiety, and that (the opportunity of) interaction with other patients is apleasant distraction or, on the contrary, an invasion of their own privacy.Understanding patients' experiences during the patient journey enableshospitals to make more informed decisions about space and serviceswhich enables us to improve experiences and well-being of patients inhospitals.This thesis emphasizes the relations between the hospital environmentand the psychosocial and physical well-being of patients. The resultsshow that it is of great importance to listen carefully to patients’experiences and needs when designing a hospital as many of the resultsshowed individual dierences with patients that emphasize that one sizedoes not t all. The well-being of patients in future hospitals can beimproved by aligning the hospital environment with individual patientcharacteristics, needs, and preferences.
BackgroundThe challenging combination of breastfeeding and work is one of the main reasons for early breastfeeding cessation. Although the availability of a lactation room (defined as a private space designated for milk expression or breastfeeding) is important in enabling the combination of breastfeeding and work, little is known about the effects of lactation room quality on mothers’ feelings and thoughts related to breastfeeding and work. We hypothesized that a high-quality lactation room (designed using the Theory of Supportive Design) would cause mothers to experience less stress, have more positive thoughts about milk expression at work, perceive more organizational support, and report more subjective well-being, than a low-quality lactation room.MethodsIn an online randomized controlled trial (Study 1), Dutch mothers (N = 267) were shown either a high-quality or a low-quality lactation room (using pictures and descriptions for the manipulation) and were then asked about their feelings and thoughts. In a subsequent field experiment (Study 2) we modified the lactations rooms in a large organization in Groningen, the Netherlands, to manipulate lactation room quality, and asked mothers (N = 61) who used either a high-quality or low-quality lactation room to fill out surveys to assess the dependent variables.ResultsThe online study showed that mothers exposed to the high-quality lactation room anticipated less stress, more positive cognitions about milk expression at work, more perceived organizational support, and more subjective well-being than mothers exposed to the low-quality lactation room (p < 0.05). Moreover, the effect of lactation room quality on perceived organizational support was especially pronounced for mothers who were higher in environmental sensitivity. The field experiment showed that use of the high-quality room led to less reported stress than use of the low-quality room (p < 0.05). We also found that mothers who were higher in environmental sensitivity perceived more control over milk expression at work and experienced more subjective well-being in the high-quality condition than in the low-quality condition (p < 0.05).ConclusionThe current studies show that not only the availability, but also the quality of lactation rooms is important in facilitating the combination of breastfeeding and work.
Gender barriers are a complex problem, as they are created and maintained by multiple dimensions of our societal system; governments, the corporate world, and by society itself. Within the hospitality industry, one of the most people-oriented sectors there is, gender barriers are especially a problem. Although there is equality amongst the entire Dutch hospitality sector in general (48.2% women, (CBS, 2022)), only 17% of top-management positions within the 5 largest hotel-chains in the country are occupied by women (Hampshire Hotel Group, 2022; Accor Group, 2022; van der Valk International, 2022; NH Hotels, 2022; NIBC, 2022). With the hospitality industry revolving around people and experiences, it is of utmost importance that it represents the actual world-population and society. In order to address the current challenges the industry is facing, it is time to face the elephant in the room; why don’t women get included in top and senior management within the hospitality industry as much as men do? This trajectory aims to identify where gender barriers occur within the Dutch hospitality industry and accordingly develop, and test interventions (enablers) together with two of the largest hotel-chains in the Netherlands, in order to improve women career advancement. The first phases of the trajectory will focus on the entire Dutch hotel sector, while the intervention phase will only be executed in collaboration with NH Hotels and IHG. The final phase of the trajectory will explore the implications of the findings from the industry to hospitality management education. By enabling more women to advance their hospitality careers, this will have a large impact on the industry’s sustainability and resilience, and again positively impact wider society.
Since 2015, the research group Lifelong Learning in Music of Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen, together with the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), has developed and researched the MiMiC practice for patients and nurses on surgical wards. The musicians make tailor-made music in the patients' rooms in collaboration with patients and nurses. They do this on the basis of verbal and non-verbal contact with patients and nurses. Person-centred music-making turns out to be easy to realise in a medical setting and to be meaningful for all involved. People who have just had surgery experience less pain. Nurses feel more deeply involved with their patients. Musicians show sensitivity for the social context in which they carry out their artistic practice.In this project the research group is developing an innovative artistic practice with a focus on elderly patients. Musicians work with patients and the care staff that are taking care of these patients during their stay in hospital. The research should lead to insights in the effects of this practice and to a new training for master students and professional musicians who want wish to specialise themselves in this field. Pilots on six different wards of the UMCG with professional musicians and master students are part of the research which will last two years in its entirety. The project has been granted funding from the 'Banning de Jong Fonds' of the national 'Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds' and the 'Fonds Sluyterman van Loo'.
