Amicus: a cancer center for youth with an emphasis on improving patient independence in relation with concept of rooming-in
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Examensarbete för masterexamen
Master's Thesis
Master's Thesis
Model builders
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Abstract
The purpose of this master thesis is to reach young patients’ mental health and physical
independence by challenging the current set-up of patient rooms used by young patients
in long term recovery from cancer treatment. Thesis is questioning the mental health in
young patients after they have gone through therapy treatment and need to go back into
the social life. Patient rooms are the space where kids spend most of their time and design
needs to compliment their stay during the process of recovery after the intense treatment.
This could be achieved by implementing the concept of rooming-in. Additionally the parents
and siblings needs are included in the rooming-in concept in order to reach the support for
the whole family .
By carefully designing these rooms we can encourage their physical independence which can
improve mental health. This principle is the foundation for the design of the other spaces in
a care center. Rooms with different levels of privacy and different programs can encourage
patients to be more independent and feel like themselves despite the health condition thus
resulting in better mental health as the final result.
The project is a smaller care center based on universal and salutogenic design with an emphasis
on mental health and patient independence. The location is green hill under the
name Hamrinsberget, north of the Norrland University hospital in Umeå. The care center
is an addition to the existing hospital and it is placed on the top of the hill, in the area surrounded
with greenery protected from noise. It is used by patients that are going through
post cancer treatment recovery and are up to 18 years old.
The thesis is divided into three phases : research for design with the support of theory,
project context with a closer investigation into the site and volume and final design development.
The research methodology of this project includes a qualitative exploration of salutogenic
and children-based design along with case studies with a similar topic. The research
also includes workshops with children who spend some time in the hospital for different
reasons as well as interviews with an architect, experience expert and a child psychologist.
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Keywords
rooming-in, cancer patients, universal design, salutogenic design, independence, parent-child patient unit.