User experience of innovative hospital rooms for older patients: the HospiSenior project

The hospital environment plays a crucial role in patient recovery. Traditional hospital rooms are not fully adapted to the specific needs of older patients who face higher risks of falls, delirium, and functional decline, leading to decreased comfort, autonomy, and safety. The HospiSenior project was designed to address these issues by developing innovative, user-centered hospital rooms tailored to older patients. This study aimed to evaluate the user experience (UX) of the HospiSenior rooms among older patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals across five university hospitals in France. A multicentric, non-interventional, descriptive study was conducted between January 2021 and January 2024. Participants included hospitalized older patients, their informal caregivers, and healthcare professionals. UX was assessed using the AttrakDiff and meCUE questionnaires, measuring global UX (UXg) and specific UX (UXs) for 14 key innovations implemented in the rooms. Safety perception was evaluated using the QUEST 2.0 scale. A total of 100 participants were enrolled. Overall, UX scores were positive, particularly among caregivers and professionals, with higher ratings for pragmatic quality and attractiveness. However, older patients reported lower UX scores, indicating usability challenges. High adoption rates were observed for the inclined bed position, sliding pocket door, and bathroom lighting (100%), while the mirror-window (10%) and connected room system (9%) were the least used features. Safety perceptions were generally positive, though concerns were noted for automatic lighting. HospiSenior rooms improve UX for older patients, caregivers, and professionals, yet some innovations require further adaptation for optimal usability. Future research should explore the long-term clinical impact of these design features, with the ongoing Hospisenior clinical trial (NCT06098534) expected to provide further insights.