The Philips team worked collaboratively with pediatric radiologists, nurses, technologists, engineers, lighting designers, architects and a child psychologist to develop Philips Ambient Experience at Advocate Lutheran General Children's Hospital. The team studied each phase of a radiology examination -- from waiting room and preparation to the scan itself -- to design the suite around the needs of patients and clinicians. The result is an innovative radiology suite that improves the quality of care by easing young patients' fears and anxieties because they can select and control the room's lighting, sound and visual images.

"Advocate Lutheran General Children's Hospital and Philips are using positive distraction to improve the design of the radiology suite," said Rosalyn Cama, FASID, Board Chair of The Center for Health Design, a non-profit research and advocacy organization consisting of healthcare and design professionals who are leading the quest to improve the quality of healthcare through building architecture and design. "There is significant scientific data that prove evidence-based hospital designs have a positive effect on healthcare outcomes. In fact, evidence-based designs are becoming the standard for new and renovated healthcare facility construction in the U.S."


People Friendly Solutions for Healthy Living

"Many of our customers are looking for ways to improve the hospital environment, which can be impersonal, functional, and clinical-looking, and may not put patients at ease," said Brent Shafer, executive vice president and CEO, sales and service region for North America for Philips Medical Systems. "Our Ambient Experience concept draws on our expertise from across the entire company - in design, medical systems, lighting, consumer electronics and semiconductor technology - to create a friendly and reassuring environment tailored to each patient's individual needs. Improving the quality of people's lives is the foundation for our healthcare activities. And by building on the promise of the Philips brand - to deliver products that are designed around the user, easy to experience and advanced - we are the only company able to bring Ambient Experience to the marketplace."

The Ambient Experience CT suite at Advocate Lutheran General Children's Hospital is outfitted with a Philips Brilliance 16-slice CT system. The system is configured for pediatric imaging capable of producing diagnostic images of advanced motion-sensitive medical imaging applications, such as pulmonary and short-breath hold cardiac studies. The scanner also includes Philips DoseWise design, delivering optimal radiation dose efficiency without compromising image quality.

More Industry Headlines