WALL COLOR OF PATIENT’S ROOM: EFFECTS ON RECOVERY

WALL COLOR OF PATIENT'S ROOM: EFFECTS ON RECOVERY

By KORTNEY JO EDGE

A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT

OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF INTERIOR DESIGN UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2003

Copyright 2003 by

Kortney Jo Edge

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I want to thank my thesis committee for their assistance in the completion of this thesis. Dr. M. Jo Hasell and Dr. John P. Marsden were able to successfully guide me through the trials and tribulations of this research project. My sincere thanks go out to the wonderful staff at Shands Hospital for the knowledge they provided me about the workings of a hospital. Brad Pollitt and Tina Mullen provided information from the perspective of the facilities department. Dr. Paulus, Dr. Gravenstein, and Dr. Graham-Pole provided valuable insight into the area of healing and recovery. A special thank you goes out to Marcia Kent and the entire staff of the cardiac care unit of Shands Hospital. Their cooperation and interest in this study made it an extremely enjoyable experience. Lastly, and most importantly, I would like to thank my family and friends. Without their constant support and encouragement this project would have never been completed. They provided me with the strength to follow my dreams.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS page

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iii

LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................................. vi

LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... viii

ABSTRACT....................................................................................................................... ix

CHAPTER

1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................1

Purpose .........................................................................................................................1 Significance ..................................................................................................................2 Basic Assumptions........................................................................................................5 Hypotheses of the Study ...............................................................................................6 Summary.......................................................................................................................6

2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE .......................................................................................8

Color Explained ............................................................................................................8 Historical Overview of Beliefs About the Healing Power of Color.............................9 Intuition, Beliefs, and Research-Based Evidence About the Effects of Color ...........12 Laboratory Studies on Human Responses to Color....................................................13

Chromotherapy Explained...................................................................................16 Cardiac Illness and Patient Responses to Environmental Factors ..............................17 Summary.....................................................................................................................19

3 METHODOLOGY .....................................................................................................20

Hypotheses..................................................................................................................21 Research Setting .........................................................................................................22 Participants .................................................................................................................27 Data Collection ...........................................................................................................28

Gaining Consent ..................................................................................................29 State-Trait Anxiety Inventory..............................................................................30 Documenting Length of Stay and Medication Requests .....................................31 Discussions with Staff and Patients.....................................................................32

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4 FINDINGS..................................................................................................................33 Anxiety Level .............................................................................................................33 Gender and Anxiety.............................................................................................37 Window View and Anxiety .................................................................................39 Surgery and Anxiety............................................................................................41 Length of Stay.............................................................................................................44 Pain Medication Requests...........................................................................................45 Patients' Opinions About the Colors ..........................................................................49 Hospital Employee's Opinions About the Colors ......................................................51

5 DISCUSSION.............................................................................................................53 Limitations and Assumptions .....................................................................................57 Suggestions for Further Research...............................................................................59 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................62 Framework for Future Researchers ............................................................................63

APPENDIX STATE-TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY (STAI)....................................66 LIST OF REFERENCES...................................................................................................67 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH .............................................................................................70

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