Multisensory, Nature-Inspired Recharge Rooms Yield Short-Term Reductions in Perceived Stress Among Frontline Healthcare Workers

David Putrino; Jonathan Ripp; Joseph E. Herrera; Mar Cortes; Christopher Kellner; Dahlia Rizk; Kristen Dams-O’Connor

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.560833

journal article Open Access Nov 19, 2020

Multisensory, Nature-Inspired Recharge Rooms Yield Short-Term Reductions in Perceived Stress Among Frontline Healthcare Workers

David Putrino

Jonathan Ripp Joseph E. Herrera Mar Cortes Christopher Kellner Dahlia Rizk Kristen Dams-O’Connor

Frontiers in Psychology Vol. 11 · Frontiers Media SA

View at Publisher Save 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.560833

Abstract

We are currently facing global healthcare crisis that has placed unprecedented stress on healthcare workers as a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It is imperative that we develop novel tools to assist healthcare workers in dealing with the significant additional stress and trauma that has arisen as a result of the pandemic. Based in research on the effects of immersive environments on mood, a neuroscience research laboratory was rapidly repurposed using commercially available technologies and materials to create a nature-inspired relaxation space. Frontline healthcare workers were invited to book 15-min experiences in the Recharge Room before, during or after their shifts, where they were exposed to the immersive, multisensory experience 496 Recharge Room users (out of a total of 562) completed a short survey about their experience during an unselected, consecutive 14-day period. Average self-reported stress levels prior to entering the Recharge Room were 4.58/6 (±1.1). After a single 15-min experience in the Recharge Room, the average user-reported stress level was significantly reduced 1.85/6 (±1.2; p &lt; 0.001; paired t-test). Net Promoter Score for the experience was 99.3%. Recharge Rooms such as those described here produce significant short-term reductions in perceived stress, and users find them highly enjoyable. These rooms may be of general utility in high-stress healthcare environments.

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References

Details

Published: Nov 19, 2020
Vol/Issue: 11
License: View

Authors

Associate professor, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; ORCID:; e-mail:.

Kristen Dams-O’Connor

Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.; Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.

Cite This Article

David Putrino, Jonathan Ripp, Joseph E. Herrera, et al. (2020). Multisensory, Nature-Inspired Recharge Rooms Yield Short-Term Reductions in Perceived Stress Among Frontline Healthcare Workers. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.560833

Multisensory, Nature-Inspired Recharge Rooms Yield Short-Term Reductions in Perceived Stress Among Frontline Healthcare Workers

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