This grant aims to advance the theory and practice of the use of visual images in healthcare art and design, with a focus on improving the waiting experience of patients in the emergency department. A two-phase study on the identification and implementation of appropriate visual imagery for emergency department waiting rooms is proposed: Phase I: A literature review on the existing evidence on stress reducing visual imagery, with new insights from the field of neuroscience, as relevant to the emotional experience of waiting in the emergency department (ED). Phase II: Application of findings of the literature review by designing visual intervention conditions for two emergency departments in the Houston area, and analyzing the impact on patient experience via observational studies and analysis of survey data in a pre-post research design.

This project is currently underway and is due for completion in May 2010.