Rethinking stroke rehabilitation space of tomorrow; investigating human-centered physical environment factors that promote stroke patients’ well-being and healthcare staff synergy

Abstract

Stroke is one of the biggest health threats to society. More than 25,000 people in Sweden suffer from a stroke annually, which can result in long-term physical, emotional, and cognitive challenges and disability. Consequently, stroke survival and the decrease in brain damage are dependent upon early acute treatment and rehabilitation. Many studies indicate that stroke unit patients are alone and inactive. Patients spent the majority of the day by themselves in their rooms and similarly took part in a limited number of training activities, which reflects the low use of specialized training facilities. In addition, many new building units were created with many single rooms and limited characteristics of shared space, which may have prevented patients from being visible in public areas and to staff. The conclusion of this study was that the architecture failed to promote patients’ recovery and well-being. Stroke rehabilitation is a unique and under studied part of healthcare. Because of this, most of the research on healthcare design has been done in acute care settings like operating rooms and intensive care units. Which primary aims for acute care patients who are frequently bedridden are diagnosis. But even so, people in stroke rehabilitation are more aware and must be active, motivated participants in their care. Thus, the findings from acute care environments may not be applicable to stroke rehabilitation. During stroke patients’ stays in a unit, they must train and participate in activities throughout rehabilitation, but boredom, a lack of excitement, exhaustion, and feelings of powerlessness frequently demotivate patients. This thesis aims to improve the user experience and outcomes of rehabilitation by curating a human-centered design approach in collaboration with a multi-professional team (stroke patients, relatives, staffs, and architects). Applying empowerment, communication, and risk levels as parameters, design an inpatient stroke and rehabilitation facility at Hässleholm Hospital with a focus on how the physical environment can best promote stroke patients’ well-being and synergies with healthcare staff