project

UMC Utrecht

MMEK and University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU) are working together on developing methods to reduce patients stress during treatment in radiotherapy bunkers. Children, in particular, tend to find it hard to remain silent during the treatment, and the only available solution is often preventive anaesthesia.

MMEK and University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU) are working together on developing methods to reduce patients stress during treatment in radiotherapy bunkers. Children, in particular, tend to find it hard to remain silent during the treatment, and the only available solution is often preventive anaesthesia.

MMEK came up with modifications inside the bunkers and medical interventions to improve the young patients treatment experience and help them relax as they undergo radiation.

One element consists of an audio and video connection with the control room, allowing parents to stay as close to their child as possible. The interior of the bunker has been designed to have a calming effect, and any potentially disquieting elements have been removed from sight. The main change involves the bunkers ceiling: a programmable LED ceiling was installed of which the settings can be adjusted to create different moods through the use of coloured and moving light. The ceiling contains information about the duration and progress of the treatment, so that patients know exactly how much longer they are to remain still. There is even an option available to play concentration games.

But a positive patient experience goes beyond the primary process alone: it is beneficial for all parties involved to take stress-reducing measures from the childs arrival to their departure. The entrance hall, control rooms and meeting rooms have also been overhauled in order to create a seamless experience.

But a positive patient experience goes beyond the primary process alone: it is beneficial for all parties involved to take stress-reducing measures from the childs arrival to their departure. The entrance hall, control rooms and meeting rooms have also been overhauled in order to create a seamless experience.

We like to think of ourselves as directors of time, location and media. This is perfectly embodied by a project such as this, in which the sequence of things is an all-important element. That is to say: providing the right media at the right time, controlling the spaces used, eliminating any elements that stand in the way of the right experience, and adding elements that strengthen it.
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