Effects of Evening Light Environment on Psychiatric Patients
Author Information
Author(s): Håvard Kallestad, Knut Langsrud, Melanie Rae Simpson, Cecilie Lund Vestergaard, Daniel Vethe, Kaia Kjørstad, Patrick Faaland, Stian Lydersen, Gunnar Morken, Ingvild Ulsaker-Janke, Simen Berg Saksvik, Jan Scott
Primary Institution: St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Norway
Hypothesis
Does modifying the evening light environment in an acute psychiatric unit improve clinical outcomes for patients?
Conclusion
Changing the evening light environment in psychiatric hospitals can improve clinical outcomes without increasing side effects.
Supporting Evidence
- Patients in the blue-depleted light environment showed higher improvement during admission.
- Lower illness severity at discharge was observed in the blue-depleted light group.
- Patients exposed to blue-depleted light exhibited lower levels of aggressive behavior.
Takeaway
This study shows that changing the lights in a hospital can help patients feel better without making them feel worse.
Methodology
A randomized controlled trial comparing two wards with different evening light environments for psychiatric patients.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to lack of blinding and the nature of subjective clinical evaluations.
Limitations
Patients and staff could not be blinded to the lighting condition, which may introduce bias.
Participant Demographics
{"mean_age":37,"gender_distribution":{"male":41,"female":59},"ethnicity":"European majority"}
Statistical Information
P-Value
{"length_of_stay":0.523,"clinical_improvement":0.035,"illness_severity":0.029,"aggressive_behaviour":0.003}
Confidence Interval
{"length_of_stay":"[-0.9, 1.9]","clinical_improvement":"[0.02, 0.54]","illness_severity":"[-0.34, -0.02]","aggressive_behaviour":"[-4.98, -0.99]"}
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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