| Kasmar 1968 |
CCT; 8 parallel groups (2 x rooms, 2 x psychiatrists, 2 x time of data collection). |
DESCRIPTION: 115 applicants for out‐patient psychiatric treatment at the Neuropsychiatric Institute, Los Angeles, USA.
NUMBERS: UNCLEAR how many patients per group.
AGE: 16 to 66 years old, UNCLEAR if > 90% were 18 years old; 34% of patients were aged 16 to 22 years old.
GENDER (male/female): 56/59.
ETHNICITY: White = 115 (100%).
INCLUSION CRITERIA: The patients had neither interacted or seen the psychiatrist previously.
EXCLUSION CRITERIA: none described. |
'BEAUTIFUL ROOM': Carpeted in burnt‐yellow carpeting and contained an abstract picture on one wall, a floor‐sized artificial plant, a wooden waste‐basket, and indirect lighting provided by a contemporary desk lamp. The room was neat and well kept.'UGLY ROOM': Carpetless, with beige asphalt floor tiling, overhead fluorescent lighting and was unkempt, with work papers strewn over the furniture and an overflowing grey metal wastebasket and ashtray. Both rooms were windowless offices of identical size (6 x 8 x 8 feet), wall covering, and colour. The furniture was the same (brown metal desks with beige formica tops, green leatherette desk chairs, and green and yellow leatherette side chairs. The offices varied only in decor. |
ROOM RATINGS: not included in review.
PATIENT PERCEPTIONS OF PSYCHIATRIST: not included in review.
MOOD RATINGS: Recorded via the "Psychiatric Outpatient Mood Scale" [This scale is known as Profile of Mood States, POMS]. No significant differences were found in the rated mood state for the main variables of room, psychiatrist, or patient age or gender.There was a significant interaction (P value < 0.05) of 'psychiatrist x age x sex' on factor 5 (fatigue‐inertia), which the authors evaluate as a chance finding. |
Data not presented in enough detail for extraction. |
| Vaaler 2005 |
CCT; 2 parallel groups. |
DESCRIPTION: 56 psychiatric in‐patients in the seclusion area of an acute psychiatric ward in Norway.
NUMBERS: Refurbished wing = 31, Traditional wing = 25.
AGE, mean (SD): Refurbished wing = 37.7 (15.5), Traditional wing = 36.3 (16.5) years old.
GENDER (male/female): Refurbished wing = 17/14, Traditional wing = 11/14. ETHNICITY: not described.INCLUSION CRITERIA: Admitted to the seclusion area of the ward.
EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Contagious diseases; dementia; mental retardation; autism to an extensive degree; does not speak Norwegian or English. |
REFURBISHED WING: Redecorated and refurbished with the aim of looking, as much as security permitted, like an ordinary Norwegian home: Wainscoting walls, colourful wallpaper and paintings, lowered ceilings, multiple lighting spots, tasteful curtains, wardrobes, chairs, flowers, personal items, Italian ceramic‐tiled bathroom.
TRADITIONAL WING: Had been refurbished 4 years prior to the study with: sparse furniture, walls in grey colours, lacking pictures, no window curtains, single lamps in the ceilings 4 m high, bathroom with grey, laminated paint all over, and patient rooms with a single bed and a chair of metal tubes. Rooms were well kept and had a few signs of damage. |
SYMPTOMS AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY: Scored on the Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) for schizophrenia, with the time criterion of the last 24 hours. Scale has scores for total, positive, negative, and general symptoms. Assessed on admittance, day 3, and at discharge from seclusion.
SYMPTOMS AND FUNCTION: Assessed on the Global Assessment of Function Scale‐ split version (GAF‐S). Assessed on admittance, day 3, and at discharge from seclusion.
BEHAVIOUR: Assessed on the Brøset Violence Checklist (BVC). This is a 6‐item observer rated scale scoring behaviours that predict imminent violence in psychiatric inpatients. Violent or threatening incidents were recorded with Staff Observation Aggression Scale‐ Revised (SOAS‐R). Assessed on admittance, day 3, and at discharge from seclusion.
LENGTH OF STAY. |
Data extracted for change from baseline (beginning and end time‐points only).PANSS score for 'total' extracted for review. No significant difference was found on any of the subscales. |
