Prolonged waiting times and communication problems were associated with lower self-reported mental well-being during hospitalization, while staff empathy and social visits improved well-being, with patient emotions shifting from apprehension and anxiety pre-procedure to confidence and hope post-procedure.
Key Findings
Results
Prolonged waiting times of greater than one hour were experienced by a large majority of participants and were associated with lower self-reported mental well-being.
74% of participants reported waiting times exceeding one hour
Mean well-being score dropped from 4.45 to 3.57 out of 5 in association with prolonged waiting times and communication problems
This difference was statistically significant (p<0.001)
Study was conducted as a cross-sectional survey at the Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at the University Hospital Mannheim in 2023
Results
Communication problems were associated with lower self-reported mental well-being scores during hospitalization.
Mean well-being score dropped from 4.45 to 3.57 out of 5 in association with communication problems and prolonged waiting times (p<0.001)
Language barriers and organizational inefficiencies were identified as factors that exacerbated distress
Communication delays were identified as important contributors to emotional distress during hospitalization
A mixed-methods approach was used, with qualitative responses coded for thematic patterns
Results
Apprehension and anxiety were the most commonly reported emotions prior to both therapeutic and diagnostic procedures.
Apprehension was reported by 68% of participants prior to therapeutic procedures and 58% prior to diagnostic procedures
Anxiety was reported by 47% of participants prior to therapeutic procedures and 21% prior to diagnostic procedures
Apprehension was the most common stated emotion across both procedure types pre-procedure
Anxiety was more commonly reported before therapeutic procedures than diagnostic procedures
Results
Patient-reported emotions shifted markedly from negative to positive states following both therapeutic and diagnostic procedures.
Post-procedure, confidence was reported by 78% of participants following therapeutic procedures and 57% following diagnostic procedures
Hope was reported by 44% of participants following therapeutic procedures and 43% following diagnostic procedures
This represents a shift from predominantly apprehension and anxiety pre-procedure to predominantly confidence and hope post-procedure
The shift occurred across both therapeutic and diagnostic procedure types
Results
Staff empathy and social visits were identified as factors that improved patient well-being during hospitalization.
Staff empathy was identified as a positive factor for emotional well-being in contrast to the negative effects of communication problems and waiting times
Social visits were similarly associated with improved well-being
These findings were identified through the mixed-methods survey approach including qualitative thematic coding
The study characterized these as patient-reported care experiences during hospitalization
Conclusions
The study identified empirically grounded stress domains intended to guide structured investigation of supportive intervention strategies.
The study was designed as an exploratory assessment to characterize patient-reported emotional stressors and care experiences
Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics alongside qualitative thematic coding
The authors recommend co-design with patients and clinicians followed by rigorous validation as key steps for future intervention development
The findings are positioned as groundwork for integrating innovations alongside 'human-centered care' to create 'holistic, patient-tailored solutions'
What This Means
This research suggests that the hospital experience carries significant emotional burden for patients, with waiting more than an hour and poor communication being key sources of distress. In a 2023 survey at a university hospital radiology and nuclear medicine department, patients who experienced long waits or communication difficulties reported notably lower mental well-being scores (dropping from an average of 4.45 to 3.57 out of 5). Language barriers and disorganization made things worse, while caring staff behavior and visits from family or friends helped patients feel better.
This research also suggests that patients feel very different emotionally before and after medical procedures. Before procedures, feelings of apprehension and anxiety were most common — particularly before therapeutic (treatment-focused) procedures where about two-thirds of patients reported apprehension and nearly half reported anxiety. After procedures, these feelings largely gave way to confidence and hope, with the majority of patients reporting positive emotions regardless of whether the procedure was therapeutic or diagnostic.
The practical implication of these findings is that hospitals may be able to improve patient mental well-being through targeted changes such as reducing unnecessary waiting times, improving communication clarity, and ensuring staff interact with patients in an empathetic way. The authors suggest that future efforts should involve patients and clinicians working together to design supportive interventions, which would then need to be rigorously tested to confirm their effectiveness.
Meyer A, Rathmann N, Diehl S, Vetter M. (2026). Exploring the Mental Well-being of Hospitalized Patients: Survey Findings to Inform Future Supportive Interventions.. In vivo (Athens, Greece). https://doi.org/10.21873/invivo.14444