Discrepancies between predicted and actual indoor environmental (dis)comfort: the role of hospitalized patients' adaptation strategies

Hospitals' indoor conditions affect patients' comfort. Comfort is predicted based on threshold values for indoor environmental quality (IEQ) indicators, but discrepancies with actual (dis)comfort occur. Current prediction methods ignore the role of patients' adaptation or treat it as a 'black box'. Therefore, we investigated how distinguishing between adaptation strategies may help explain discrepancies. We combined sensor measurements of IEQ indicators (sound, light, temperature) at two hospital wards with a questionnaire among 238 patients. After grouping respondents according to their adaptation strategy, we investigated relationships between strategies, respondents' experiences of indoor conditions and measured values of IEQ indicators. Experiences differ when respondents' adaptation strategy differs. Satisfaction votes are higher when sensation votes are more neutral or more as preferred. This occurs when respondents adapt behaviourally (i.e. adapt indoor conditions) or do not wish to adapt indoor conditions (e.g. adapt sensations), rather than when adapting psychologically (i.e. by choice or imposed). Adaptation strategies influence measured values differently, but this cannot explain differences in experiences. Adaptation strategies therefore seem to influence experiences in a psychological way, which current methods cannot predict. Attending to how adaptation influences experiences of indoor conditions and how this differs between adaptation strategies, can thus contribute to reducing discrepancies.

Automated summary

Hospitals' indoor conditions affect patients' comfort, with adaptation strategies influencing patients' experiences and satisfaction. Psychological adaptation strategies seem to affect experiences in different ways, which current methods cannot fully predict.