10.2190/3WQP-R275-9FXY-3XNN 3WQPR2759FXY3XNN 2 Information and Environmental Stress: Report of a Hospital Intervention 303 316 20020509 20020509 20020509 20020509 3WQPR2759FXY3XNN.pdf http://baywood.metapress.com/link.asp?target=contribution&id=3WQPR2759FXY3XNN 4 Yona Nelson-Shulman City University of New York <p>An intervention was undertaken in the admitting area of a large urban hospital for the purpose of alleviating patient stress due to long waits, congestion, and lack of information. Signs were mounted in the waiting area, instructing patients about registration procedures and orienting them to nearby amenities, and literature was distributed about the hospital and its admitting procedures. The responses of ninety-four elective inpatients who received this information were compared with those of an equivalent patient group who entered the hospital under normal circumstances, i.e., without information.</p><p>Informed patients were found to be more knowledgeable about admitting procedures and available amenities. They were more self-reliant and made fewer demands on staff. In contrast, uninformed patients rated the hospital less favorably and were found to have elevated heart rates. Patients admitted under conditions of higher density gave more negative responses than those admitted under lower density conditions. In certain instances, information was shown to benefit more critical patient subgroups. Practical implications of these findings are discussed, with particular attention paid to the role of cognitive factors in mediating responses to stress and density.</p> I. Janis, <i>Psychological Stress</i>, Academic Press, New York, 1958. E. Langer, I. Janis, and J. Wolfer, Reduction of Psychological Stress in Surgical Patients, <i>Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 11</i>, pp. 155-165, 1974. E. Langer and S. Saegert, Crowding and Cognitive Control, <i>Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 35</i>, pp. 175-182, 1977. R. Wener and R. Kaminoff, Environmental Clarity and Perceived Crowding, in <i>Environmental Design Research Association</i>, A. Seidel and S. Danford (eds.), EDRA, Washington, D. C., pp. 63-67, 1979. S. Saegert, High-Density Environments, in <i>Human Responses to Crowding</i>, A. Baum and Y. Epstein (eds.), Lawrence Erlbaum Press, Hillsdale, New Jersey, pp. 257-281, 1978. E. Barnes, <i>People in Hospitals</i>, Macmillan Press, London, England, 1961. E. Brown, <i>Newer Dimensions of Patient Care</i>, Russell Sage, New York, 1963. H. Proshansky, Y. Nelson-Shulman, and R. Kaminoff, The Role of Physical Settings in Life-Crisis Experiences, in <i>Stress and Anxiety</i>, I. Sarason and C. Spielberger (eds.), Wiley and Sons, New York, pp. 3-24, 1979. L. Rivlin, Some Issues Concerning Institutional Places, <i>Centerpoint</i>, City University of New York, pp. 7-26, 1978. M. Bard, personal communication, 1979. S. Kirsners and J. Waters, <i>The Experience of Being a Patient</i>, unpublished manuscript, City University of New York, 1972. A. Baum and C. Greenberg, Waiting for a Crowd, <i>Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 7</i>, pp. 185-198, 1975. P. McGrew, Social and Spatial Density Effects on Spacing Behavior in Preschool Children, <i>Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 11</i>, pp. 197-205, 1970. S. Saegert, E. Mackintosh, and S. West, Two Studies of Crowding in Urban Public Places, <i>Environment and Behavior, 7</i>, pp. 159-184, 1975. Y. Nelson-Shulman, <i>The Effects of Information on Patients' Perceptions of Their Hospital Admission</i>, unpublished doctoral dissertation, City University of New York, 1981. F. Kanfer and D. Goldfoot, Self-Control and Tolerance of Noxious Stimulation, <i>Psychological Reports, 18</i>, pp. 79-85, 1966. R. Vieth, <i>Experimental Innovations in the Waiting Room of a Hospital Emergency Facility</i>, unpublished master's thesis, Claremont University, 1977.