The relationship of space with stress: Children's patient room

When receiving health care, children face more stress than adults in terms of limited life experiences, differences in perception, self-control and strategy development. In this process, the parental attitude, the approach of the medical staff, the factor of informing the child about the subject, as well as the physical features of the place, help the child balance the stress. Based on this point, the patient room, where children are disconnected from their daily lives, separated from their family members and peers, feel pain and tension due to health problems, and are exposed to various invasive procedures, was chosen as the study area while receiving health care. The relationship between patient room interior and stress has been examined in the literature and field data. For this purpose, the effects of physical conditions of the place, social interaction and leisure activity opportunities on human stress psychology have been investigated in the literature. Semi-structured interview forms were applied to three different user groups of the patient rooms in KTÜ Farabi Hospital Pediatric Services and data on user experience was obtained. Patient room design strategies were created by analyzing literature and field data to balance child stress. These strategies; ıt is presented under six main headings: ensuring the child's comfort in the space, expressing himself, finding opportunities to entertain himself, developing belonging, feeling safe, and appealing to his sense of discovery. When the children's patient room is designed with these strategies, it can be included in the healing process by helping the child cope with negative emotions and balance his stress.