Virtual atmospherics: a new key to patient satisfaction.

Hospitals and other medical providers are intentional with respect to reinforcing desirable personal and emotional characteristics such as safety, security, relaxation, and comfort in the physical design and decoration of their facilities. For years, hospital aesthetics have been designed to reduce stress and provide the greatest amount of patient comfort and confidence. Given the explosion of Internet usage, consideration must be given to the virtual environment as well. Increasingly, patients use the Internet to gather medical information and to interact with healthcare providers; therefore, it is critical to reinforce desirable personal and emotional characteristics in the virtual environment.