gms | German Medical Science

Introduction: Patients regularly spend a lot of time waiting for appointments or walk-in treatment at the doctors’ offices. The waiting time can be experienced as a time of reflection, distraction, anxiety, and boredom. These are manifested by a number of common behaviors like pacing, reading, watching television, talking with others, and watching them [1]. However, these activities are not related to the doctor’s visit, and often serve no purpose to enhance the upcoming encounter with a physician. The experience of waiting can be enhanced in a number of ways. The usual setting of a waiting room already provides a lot media, such as televisions showing informational DVDs, brochures, posters and nature art. Some of these aim at increasing patient knowledge and health literacy or promote a healthy lifestyle. This general increase in patient health literacy is a priority for many physicians [2], [3]. Unfortunately, patients are typically provided printed materials such as posters or brochures, which they do not prefer over other waiting activities [4].

Concept and Methods: The authors introduced an interactive version of a validated pain assessment form displayed in a Multi-touch Table on a simulated waiting room [5]. Qualitative analysis of observations on waiting rooms with and without the multi-touch table aimed to show how this type of media is preferred over printed material and is usable without guidance.

Results and Discussion: By introducing a multi-touch table presenting an interactive version of a pain assessment form using concepts from perceptual priming, PrIMA provided not only an informative, but also a positive experience for subjects in a simulated waiting room. This was reflected in a preference for the digital system over typical paper materials and positive feedback during interviews. New possibilities in the field of e-learning and health are emerging.