Sabrina Shih

University of Michigan Medical School, USA

Designing for Support in Labor and Delivery: a Mixed- Methods Analysis of L&D Room Design from the Perspective of Patient Support Persons (PSPs)

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Biography

Sabrina Shih is a third year medical student at University of Michigan Medical School. She graduated from Cornell with a bachelors in biology. She has experience with textbook illustration design, and is seeking to broaden her research interests to environmental design with a focus on improving patient outcomes, as well as designing medical education tools for medical students. Sabrina is an aspiring OBGYN physician and hopes to practice community medicine.

Abstract

Purpose: This study seeks to identify design elements in the labor and delivery rooms at Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital that affect patient support persons’ (PSPs) ability to support to the birthing individual. PSP support is associated with reduced patient stress, increase patient satisfaction, and decrease healthcare costs through fewer maternal interventions. By focusing on the oftenoverlooked PSP perspective to identify barriers to support, we gain valuable insights to optimize the birthing environment for all parties.

Methods: We collected quantitative and qualitative data through in-person structured interviews with 25 PSPs who accompanied a patient that underwent low-risk vaginal delivery at Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital. Quantitative data, consisting of demographic data and Likert scales, was cleaned on Excel and descriptive statistics were used to analyze quantitative data on SPSS. Qualitative data was transcribed and reviewed for overarching themes.

Results: PSPs that work in healthcare, compared to those who do not, were significantly more likely to: 1) rate knowledge of medical equipment as a larger contributor to their ability to provide support, 2) rate the room space as more customizable, and 3) report lower levels of personal needs fulfillment. Compared to male PSPs, female PSPs rated room decoration as more customizable and rated the white board as a larger contributor to their ability to support. Overall, lower stress, increased comfort, and increased sense of belonging were significantly (p<0.001) correlated with increased ability to support (r=-0.81, r=0.68, r=0.80 respectively). Common reported barriers included lack of information about features of the room and the facility, difficulty fulfilling personal needs, and feeling like a hinderance.

Conclusions: Understanding demographic variations in barriers and enablers of PSP support creates opportunities for targeted design interventions. Identifying high-impact environmental elements enables evidence-based solutions that enhance PSPs’ ability to support with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes.