Diagnosis: Doctor’s decor does matter
Mayo patients prefer 'egalitarian' exam-room layout, Finally, medical science is considering the healing properties of office furniture. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic published a study Wednesday that suggests patient-care medicine can be enhanced by the design of furniture used in consultation rooms. In a study funded by a division of Steelcase — an office-furniture manufacturer — researchers randomly assigned 63 patients for treatment to either a conventional exam room or an experimental one. The experimental office placed the patient and doctor side by side at a semicircular desk so both could look easily at a computer screen while discussing treatment options and test results. That's different from the traditional exam-room layout, where patients typically sit in chairs to the side of a doctor's desk with limited access to the physician's desktop computer screen, said Dr. Victor Montori, the lead Mayo researcher on the project.
Pioneer Press by Christopher Snowbeck, 10/27/09
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