PABST PUBLISHERS. SPATIAL PERCEPTION & CHEMOTHERAPY

Tanja C Vollmer, Gemma Koppen & Ulrich Keilholz present the results of their empirical clinical pilot study ‘Raum für Nähe und Distanz. Raumwahrnehmung und Gestaltungspräferenz in der ambulanten Chemotherapie’. (Space for closeness and distance. Spatial perception and design preference in ambulatory chemotherapy). In the yearbook 2019 of the oldest German professional association for psycho-oncology, dapo e.V., the authors consciously direct the attention of clinics and practitioners to the space in which their patients spend the sometimes most difficult time of their lives: the ambulatory chemotherapy. It is astonishing how concretely the patients know what they want and need in order to achieve a healthy environment, a so-called Healing Environment. Unfortunately, the interviewees also observe that German clinics are in fact far away from this Healing Environment. But, according to the authors, where wishes are measurable, there is also hope.