World's First 'Ambient Experience' Radiology Suite Opens at Advocate Lutheran General Children's Hospital; Philips-Designed Suite Gives Children Greater Control over Environment to Ease Fears

"The goal of the Ambient Experience CT suite is to give control ofthe radiology environment to young patients to alleviate their anxietyand tension," said Dr. John Anastos, D.O., chairman of the departmentof radiology at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital. "A CT examrequires a patient lie perfectly still, and can be very scary orintimidating to a child. About one-third of children scanned requiresedation because they are unable to relax enough for a successfuldiagnostic exam. This can add six to eight hours of recovery time to aprocedure that could be completed in 15 minutes."

Ambient Experience Design

From the moment they check-in to when they leave, pediatricpatients make choices over the examination environment using PhilipsAmbient Experience unique leading-edge design elements, sophisticatedlighting and consumer-friendly electronics. In the reception area atLutheran General Children's Hospital, young patients select cartoonsand animation themes to be projected on the wall and ceiling of theexamination room, accompanied by corresponding music and sounds.Specialized lighting brings a wash of color into the experience. Alleffects are triggered by the patient passing a radiofrequencyidentification (RFID) card over a reader in the suite.

Dr. Anastos stressed that the Ambient Experience CT suite is asignificant step in improving the quality of patient care. "When thechild is relaxed and comfortable in their environment, the need forsedation or repeat exams is reduced, which helps keep a youngpatient's radiation doses to a minimum."

The Philips team worked collaboratively with pediatricradiologists, nurses, technologists, engineers, lighting designers,architects and a child psychologist to develop Philips AmbientExperience at Advocate Lutheran General Children's Hospital. The teamstudied each phase of a radiology examination -- from waiting room andpreparation to the scan itself -- to design the suite around the needsof patients and clinicians. The result is an innovative radiologysuite that improves the quality of care by easing young patients'fears and anxieties because they can select and control the room'slighting, sound and visual images.

"Advocate Lutheran General Children's Hospital and Philips areusing positive distraction to improve the design of the radiologysuite," said Rosalyn Cama, FASID, Board Chair of The Center for HealthDesign, a non-profit research and advocacy organization consisting ofhealthcare and design professionals who are leading the quest toimprove the quality of healthcare through building architecture anddesign. "There is significant scientific data that proveevidence-based hospital designs have a positive effect on healthcareoutcomes. In fact, evidence-based designs are becoming the standardfor new and renovated healthcare facility construction in the U.S."

Kitten Scan

The Ambient Experience begins as soon as the patient arrives inthe waiting room at Lutheran General Children's Hospital with theopportunity to interact with the "Philips Kitten Scan," a miniature CTscanner that is an educational resource for children. Children selecta toy, place it on a miniature exam table and slide it into the KittenScan to learn why the toy is 'sick.' Animation appears on a screenthat shows children what doctors are looking for inside the toy andtells them a story about each one. The kid-sized scanner was designedby Philips to provide children with an opportunity to use a scannerthemselves and learn how it works to help ease their minds about theirown exam.

People Friendly Solutions for Healthy Living

"Many of our customers are looking for ways to improve thehospital environment, which can be impersonal, functional, andclinical-looking, and may not put patients at ease," said BrentShafer, executive vice president and CEO, sales and service region forNorth America for Philips Medical Systems. "Our Ambient Experienceconcept draws on our expertise from across the entire company - indesign, medical systems, lighting, consumer electronics andsemiconductor technology - to create a friendly and reassuringenvironment tailored to each patient's individual needs. Improving thequality of people's lives is the foundation for our healthcareactivities. And by building on the promise of the Philips brand - todeliver products that are designed around the user, easy to experienceand advanced - we are the only company able to bring AmbientExperience to the marketplace."

The Ambient Experience CT suite at Advocate Lutheran GeneralChildren's Hospital is outfitted with a Philips Brilliance 16-slice CTsystem. The system is configured for pediatric imaging capable ofproducing diagnostic images of advanced motion-sensitive medicalimaging applications, such as pulmonary and short-breath hold cardiacstudies. The scanner also includes Philips DoseWise design, deliveringoptimal radiation dose efficiency without compromising image quality.

Philips Design Medical Team was recognized as a Gold winner forits Ambient Experience for healthcare in the annual Industrial DesignExcellence Award (IDEA) in the environment category. The contest isrun independently by the Industrial Designers Society of America andsponsored by BusinessWeek magazine. The Industrial Design ExcellenceAwards are dedicated to fostering business and public understanding ofthe importance of industrial design excellence to the quality of lifeand the economy.

About Advocate Lutheran General Children's Hospital

Advocate Lutheran General Children's Hospital, located on thecampus of Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, is one of thelargest and most comprehensive children's hospitals in Illinois,treating more than 3,500 inpatients and 100,000 outpatients annually.It is the only children's hospital in the greater north and northwestsuburban region of Chicago, and is a major regional referral centerfor a broad range of infant and pediatric patients, especially thosewith complex illnesses and chronic conditions.

Offering the most advanced treatment options, the children'shospital has pediatric specialists in virtually every medical andsurgical field. For more information, visitwww.advocatehealth.com/lutheran kids.

About Royal Philips Electronics

Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI)is one of the world's biggest electronics companies and Europe'slargest, with sales of EUR 30.3 billion in 2004. With activities inthe three interlocking domains of healthcare, lifestyle and technologyand 159,700 employees in more than 60 countries, it has marketleadership positions in medical diagnostic imaging and patientmonitoring, color television sets, electric shavers, lighting andsilicon system solutions. News from Philips is located atwww.philips.com/newscenter.