ABSTRACT
For patients in Taiwan, the low medical cost and great convenience has resulted in overly lengthy waiting time. Some studies have shown that overly lengthy waiting time is the main reason contributing to patients’ dissatisfaction towards their experience of medical treatment received. By improving the waiting area environment, patients’ anxiety while waiting can be improved, thereby enhancing their satisfaction towards medical treatment received. In this study, the lighting environment of the hospital's waiting area was targeted. In order to find the most appropriate lighting brightness, the brightness of the waiting area was changed to three different shades, and a questionnaire survey was administered on the patients. The survey results show that adjusting the brightness of the waiting area lighting indeed affected the subjects’ perceptive judgement of the visual space. When the light was too dim (250 LUX), the subjects’ nervousness and sense of insecurity increased. However, when the light was too bright (430 LUX), it did not make the subjects more relaxed, more secure, nor more satisfied. Optimum lighting (370 LUX) catered to both the need for comfort and the need to save energy.
