Delirium is the most common mental complication in critically ill patients, and is characterized by pain, stress, anxiety, and a disrupted sleep-wake cycle. It severely affects not only recovery time, but also leads to cognitive long-term impairment, posttraumatic stress disorders, and reduced quality of life. To prevent delirium, environmental design strategies can be effective. To this end, the Philips VitalMinds venture has developed a luminous ceiling called VitalSky that provides not only circadian-effective lighting to support the sleep-wake cycle of patients in the IC environment, but also allows for presentation of nature-based scenes facilitating patient recovery. The project aims are 1) acquiring fundamental knowledge on specific nature features and their effects on patient experience, 2) investigating how physiological patient data can be used to steer device functioning, and 3) developing the interaction protocols via which patients and other stakeholders in the IC context can communicate with device and contents. By contributing to patient health and wellbeing, our project stimulates quick recovery after treatment and a rapid return to normal daily activities.
Sponsors: Philips Research
Contact: Thomas van Rompay