Space and Interaction Trial: Room Design and Patient-physician Interaction

SIT Trial: The Effect of Clinical Room Design on the Quality of the Clinical Encounter

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT00806559

Acronym

SIT

Enrollment

Registered

2008-12-11

Start date

2007-07-31

Completion date

2008-04-30

Last updated

2011-12-14

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Internal Medicine Patients, Participating Staff

Keywords

effects clinical space, follow-up appointments

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to improve the clinical encounter through the design of the clinical environment. We will conduct a randomized controlled trial to measure the extent to which a newly designed clinical room, compared to a traditional room, affects the patient-physician interaction. We will judge this outcome by (a) videotaping encounters; and (b) conducting post-visit surveys with patients and an interview with physicians. We will use both qualitative and quantitative tools, including a validated and widely used interaction coding system on the videotapes, to draw inferences from these data.

Interventions

OTHERRe-designed room

In the redesigned room patients and clinicians are sitting at a single table in a different configuration compared to the usual clinical exam room, with the doctor at the computer and two chairs for the patient and family/friends.

OTHERControl room

This is the usual clinical room for a clinical visit, with physician at desk and chairs along the wall for patient/family.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Eligible Clinicians: 1. In the Department of GIM or Preventive Medicine 2. Able and Willing to participate in research study. Eligible patients: 1. Patient of a clinician participating in the study 2. 18 years or older 3. Seeing clinician for return/summary visit.

Exclusion criteria

1.) Not able to give informed consent.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Patient and Clinician Interaction variables (duration of the encounter, patient sense of control in encounter, patient's ability to access information from the computer monitor and the quality of the verbal and non-verbal interaction).	Immediately post clinical visit (survey)
Patient experience of the clinical encounter. The following variables will be measured: patient satisfaction with the room, patient satisfaction with the encounter and the quality of the relationship.	Immediately post visit

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026