• Professional healthcare
    ‌
    ‌
    ‌
    ‌
    ‌
    ‌
    ‌
    ‌
    ‌
    ‌
    ‌
    ‌
    ‌
    ‌
    ‌
    ‌
    ‌
    ‌
    ‌
    ‌
    • Consumer productsConsumer products
      • Home
      • Support
      • Product registration
      • My Philips
    • Healthcare professionalsHealthcare professionals
      • Home
      • Products
      • Services
      • Specialties
      • Solutions
    • Other business solutionsOther business solutions
      • Lighting
      • Automotive
      • Dictation Solutions
      • More
      • Hearing solutions
      • Display solutions
    • About usAbout us
      • Home
      • News
      • Investor Relations
      • Careers
      • More
      • Innovation
      • Environmental, Social and Governance
    • Contact and supportContact and support
      • Customer support
      • Professional healthcare support
      • Company contacts
    • Stay up-to-dateStay up-to-date
    • Select your country / languageGlobal / English
    • Privacy Notice
    • Terms of use
    • Cookie notice
    © Koninklijke Philips N.V., 2004 - 2025. All rights reserved.

    Enhancing patient and staff experience in CT 

    • Featuring
    • August 29 2024
    • 2 min read

    The Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Medical Center is an acute hospital with over 1,000 staff members located in Itabashi-ku, Tokyo. It focuses on treating illnesses common among senior citizens, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and dementia. The Center offers a full range of medical care, with the exception of pediatrics and obstetrics. 

    At-a-glance:

    • The Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Medical Center introduced Ambient Experience to reduce patient stress during CT scans, using lighting, projections, and sound for a calming effect
    • The immersive themes help staff build trust with patients, making communication easier and improving the overall experience
    • By reducing anxiety and streamlining procedures, the system eases staff workload and enhances examination accuracy
    Section Chief, Radiology Department with patient for a CT scan with Ambient Experience at the Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Medical Center

    Looking towards a future of less patient stress and smoother communication in medical care

    No one likes to go to the hospital and the CT lab. Almost everyone who comes to the facility feels stressed. In several cases, patients become confused and panicked, which raised their heart rate and made it hard to get accurate CT scanning results. Mr. Yutaka Suzuki (Section Chief, Radiology Department, Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Medical Center), has always wanted to reduce patients’ stress to have more accurate test outcomes, but traditional approaches didn’t yield the effects Mr. Suzuki hoped for. Chief Technician Yasushi Unno also tried various approaches to achieve this without success.

    With the introduction of Ambient Experience, they found a solution to create the ideal scanning environment for patients and relieve the burden on staff.

    Section Chief, Radiology Department in the control room at the Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Medical Center

    Compared to other countries, clinical care in Japan is cold and impersonal. I’m looking for new approaches to improving care by improving the clinical environment

    Yutaka Suzuki
    Section Chief, Radiology Department
    Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Medical Center

    Our approach: Creating a sense of togetherness

    The Ambient Experience solution and the new Philips CT Iqon scanner were installed quickly and smoothly. Staff use a touchscreen to choose themes which are complemented by dynamic lighting, wall projection, ceiling displays and sound which create a relaxing environment. Nurse Mami Tokuhara says, “It’s our job to stay by patients’ sides and build trust. That’s a challenge that medical technology alone cannot overcome. The Ambient Experience themes help us immediately connect with them. Patients relax when they look at the selected theme, which makes the procedure go a lot more smoothly.” Once staff connect with patients by talking about the themes, it’s easier to tell when patients become mentally disoriented. It’s also easier for older patients who are reluctant to complain to tell staff when they feel sick. Yutaka Suzuki, Section Chief of the Radiology Department, reflected on the potential of Ambient Experience to improve patient visit rates, particularly for emotionally charged breast cancer screenings. He has requested new features, such as displaying examination instructions in multiple languages, to help non-Japanese-speaking patients relax and reduce staff burden, leading to more reliable examinations. Additionally, Suzuki desired the system to include themes depicting Japan's four seasons, aiming to provide entertainment value for long-term inpatients. He believes that Ambient Experience can make the CT examination experience easier for patients and more satisfying for staff.

    It’s made it easier to break through psychological barriers that technology alone can’t overcome.

    Mami Tokuhara
    Nursing Department Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Medical Center

    Results

    The results have exceeded the Center’s expectations Many staff members report that communicating with patients is easier than ever. Some have even found that they are able to build trust with their patients more quickly.

    “We wanted patients to relax during their examination so we could get acceptable results. At the same time, we wanted to reduce the burden on our staff,” says Dr. Keigo Shimoji, Manager, Radiology Department. “It was then that we were introduced to Ambient Experience, and we recognized that this could help us create the ideal scanning environment we were looking for.” Nurse Mami Tokuhara explains “It’s our job to stay by patients’ sides and build trust. That’s a challenge that medical technology alone cannot overcome. The Ambient Experience themes help us immediately connect with them."

    Featuring
    Yutaka Suzuki
    Yutaka Suzuki
    Section Chief, Radiology Department
    Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Medical Center, Japan

    Download case study enhancing patient and

    staff experience in CT

    Download (PDF | 159.05 KB)
    Copy this URLto share this story with your professional network

    Enhancing the MRI experience for patients and staff

    Explore the benefits of Philips Ambient Experience in MRI – an evidence-based, people-centric design, transforming the care environment.

    technologist comforting a patient that is undergoing an MRI scan
    Sign up for news and updates
    Woman using a tablet
    Disclaimer
    Results are specific to the institution where they were obtained and may not reflect the results achievable at other institutions. Results in other cases may vary.