Amsterdam, the Netherlands and Andover, U.S. – Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today announced the introduction of its Ambient Experience preparation & recovery bay in the U.S. Combining the creative use of colored dynamic lighting and video, this new offering provides patients with a uniquely personalized environment that delivers positive distraction and active relaxation to reduce pre-operative stress and enhance the post-operative recovery environment. At the same time, different ambient lighting modes support nursing staff through each step in the workflow from arrival and preparation to the recovery bay and housekeeping. The Ambient Experience preparation & recovery bay will be rolled out to other markets next year.

Patients often experience high levels of stress prior to a medical procedure, particularly a cardiac catheterization [1,2,3]. Invasive procedures requiring full anesthesia can also cause considerable psychological distress, as can non-invasive scans that may result in the diagnosis of serious illness. Stress occurs for reasons such as the anticipation of discomfort and pain, separation from the patient’s family, loss of independence, or fear of the procedure itself. Conventional pre-operative preparation and post-operative recovery rooms do little to alleviate the situation. They are typically cluttered with medical equipment designed to meet the requirements of clinicians rather than patients. Yet calm, relaxed cooperative patients are known to result in better outcomes, clearer medical images, and faster procedures [4]. There is therefore a real need for perioperative environments that help to reduce patient stress as much as possible.

“The fear and stress of undergoing surgery is something we can all relate to even if it’s not happening to us personally,” said Werner Satter, Business Leader Healthcare Experience Solutions for Philips. “That’s why at Philips we believe that shaping the patient experience by creating a calmer, less intimidating environment is one of the best ways of helping people at a point in their lives when they need it most. Ever since the commercial introduction of our Ambient Experience concept in 2006, we have seen that a purposefully designed patient-centric environment can make a real difference to a patient’s experience and state-of-mind, with the cumulative effect of helping hospitals to improve their workflow and improve staff satisfaction.”

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