The Effects of Different Interior Decorations in a Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit.

Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Status: Completed

Conditions: Mental Disorders

Treatments: Procedure: Psychiatric intensive care unit sparsely furnished and not decorated; Procedure: Psychiatric intensive care unit in Norwegian home style

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT00184132

AEV-00

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of the study is to compare effects of treatment of patients acutely admitted to a Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) with either a sparsely decorated interior or interior decorations like an ordinary, Norwegian home.

Full description

The PICU in Østmarka psychiatric department, St. Olavs Hospital contains 2 identical parts. Each part contains 2 beds. The PICU had a traditional sparsely decorated interior. In cooperation with architects and the county building authorities one of the parts were redecorated to an interior like an ordinary Norwegian home. All patients admitted the the PICU were semi-randomized to either traditional or "Norwegian home" interior decorations. Symptoms, behaviour, and treatment were evaluated at admittance, day 3 and discharge from the PICU

Enrollment: 54 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• All patients acutely admitted to the PICU, St. Olavs Hospital, Østmarka dep.

Exclusion criteria

• Patients with dementia or mental retardation to an extensive degree.
• Patients not speaking Norwegian or English

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

---

54 participants in 2 patient groups

Norwegian home style ward

Experimental group

Description:

The walls received wainscots, colourful wallpaper and paintings; the ceilings were lowered and had multiple lighting spots, the windows tasteful curtains; we put wardrobes, chairs, flowers and personal items in the patient rooms; and Italian ceramic tile covered the entire bathroom

Treatment:

Procedure: Psychiatric intensive care unit in Norwegian home style

sparsely furnished ward

Active Comparator group

Description:

traditional interior design and furnishings. The rooms had sparse furniture, walls in grey colours lacking pictures, no window curtains, single lamps in the ceiling 4 m high, bathroom with grey, laminated paint all over, and patient rooms with a single bed and a chair of metal tubes

Treatment:

Procedure: Psychiatric intensive care unit sparsely furnished and not decorated