Psychosocial Research, Specific to Pediatric Cancer, Used to Create Optimal Family Centered Design in New Hem/Onc Unit

Psychosocial Research Initiatives, Specific to Pediatric Cancer, Used to Create Optimal Family Centered Design in New Hem/Onc Unit

When you think of pediatric cancer, it’s not uncommon to think of research. After all, new cancer fighting drugs are always being trialed with the hopes of one day finding a cure. The Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Center (JJCCC) at Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach, has taken its research efforts beyond the standard medical research into the psychosocial realm – an area where JJCCC has always been a leader. The research goal is to learn more about creating the “optimal pediatric hematology-oncology unit.”

JJCCC has outgrown its current space and with the recent approval of the PROP 3 grant, construction will begin in the very near future. However, this is different from most hospital construction projects. Miller Children’s will collect data to measure the impact of its new pediatric hematology-oncology unit.Grant funding has been requested to fund this project.

“Research at other children’s hospitals showed that environmental satisfaction was associated with the quality of the amenities provided in the hospital room,” says Sandra Sherman-Bien, PhD, Research Psychologist, JJCCC. “There was also a strong relationship between parental environment and health care satisfaction. Basically, parents who were more satisfied with the look and feel of the hospital and their child’s hospital room had more positive perceptions about the quality of their child’s healthcare. If parents don’t think their child is receiving good care, they may feel more stressed, which can also affect their quality of life. We may be able to improve mood and perceptions of healthcare quality by designing a pleasant and comfortable hospital environment.”

The Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Center’s multi-disciplinary treatment team that includes physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, Child Life specialists, physical and occupational therapy, among others, has a strong collaboration with TAYLOR, the architectural firm that is building the new unit. They are collaborating to maximize their ability to design an optimal, family centered hematology-oncology unit. Dr. Sherman-Bien has partnered with Alyssa Scholz, TAYLOR’s interior designer, and Rita Goshert, the head of Child Life the architectural firm that is building the new unit. They are collaborating to maximize their ability to design an optimal, family centered hematology-oncology unit. Dr. Sherman-Bien has partnered with Alyssa Scholz, TAYLOR’s interior designer, and Rita Goshert, the head ofas co-investigators on the psychosocial research initiative to measure the impact of the new facility.

“We are planning a study to capture the design changes as we move from our old to our new unit,” says Sherman-Bien. “With this collaboration, we are working with the designer, so we are aware of the architectural variables that are changing, and with Child Life, the experts on what life is like for our patients and their families.”

The biggest change to the new pediatric hematology-oncology unit is the move to all private rooms, which not only gives patients and families more privacy, but potentially is better from an infection control and health stand point. The hope is that privacy helps them feel a greater sense of control over their own environment. Private rooms also allow for visitors to be accommodated, which can also provide comfort to our patients and their families. Each patient room will be equipped with a “patient zone” that will include a bed and a desk, a “family zone” that will include a sleep chair, desk, and controlled lighting for that area, and a “staff zone” that includes a charting area. In addition, there will be a larger playroom, and a state-of-the art hepa-filtration system, creating 100 percent clean air, important for patients who are immunecompromised.

Dr. Sherman-Bien and her team will soon start collecting data by asking patients, parents, and staff to complete questionnaires. These will serve as a baseline before construction. Once the new unit opens they will repeat the process. The data will track improvements or identify areas that require further design work for future children’s hospitals that build a new hematology-oncology unit.

“We want to do what’s right for the patients, their families and the entire care team,” says Dr. Sherman-Bien. “Building a new unit requires millions of dollars. We want to do everything right, and to do so we must evaluate the new unit. By participating in the process of evidence-based design research, not only can we learn what design changes worked and did not work for our own unit, but we can contribute to the science of pediatric hospital design. Future hospitals and children across the country will benefit from our experience, as we continue to work towards the best healing environment possible for all pediatric patients with cancer and blood diseases.”