THERAPEUTIC ARCHITECTURE FOR CANCER
Research type
Research Study
Full title
THERAPEUTIC ARCHITECTURE FOR CANCER: MIXED METHODS ANALYSIS OF BUILT ENVIRONMENT INFLUENCES ON OLDER PATIENTS’ WELLBEING IN CANCER OUTPATIENT INFUSION CLINICS
IRAS ID
305763
Contact name
Lusi Morhayim
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
UCL RANDD
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, Z6364106/2022/02/78
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
To accommodate the growing ageing population’s healthcare needs, European countries such as Romania, Estonia, and Greece are building new healthcare facilities, with their budget totalling €477 million. The incidence of cancer increases with age and cancer is one of the primary causes of morbidity and mortality in Europe with more than 3 million new cases yearly. Cancer patients’ experience of mental and physical fatigue, weakness, and anxiety is even more pronounced due to the ageing process. Costly cancer medicine and research address the treatment of illness, yet the socio-spatial and therapeutic qualities of cancer clinics, a fundamental aspect of health, remain an overlooked element of healthcare provision for ageing. Medical and architectural experts recognize the therapeutic role of the built environment. However, existing research largely focuses on patients’ needs in inpatient wards. Research in outpatient clinics has been scarce, even though the transient nature of outpatient clinics often fails to support fundamental socio-spatial needs such as privacy, territoriality and accessibility. Theoretical articulation of how the built environment of care, and, in particular, outpatient cancer clinics, can support older patients’, carers' and staff wellbeing still lacks an interdisciplinary perspective. The scientific objectives of this research include a) empirical exploration of the spatial elements that influence multifaceted needs of older cancer patients through a combination of ethnographic, quantitative research and gender analysis, and b) the establishment of an interdisciplinary theoretical foundation based on medical sociology, environmental psychology and built environment studies
REC name
London - Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/PR/0952
Date of REC Opinion
13 Oct 2022
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion