Ambient Experience is an interactive solution that uses modern technology and design to create a more comfortable and soothing experience for patients and staff during proton therapy

Amsterdam, the Netherlands and Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium - IBA (Ion Beam Applications SA), the world’s leading provider of proton therapy solutions for the treatment of cancer, and Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a leading health technology company, today announced the launch of a dedicated patient-centric Ambient Experience solution for the proton therapy gantry of IBA’s Proteus®PLUS proton therapy solution, making the Philips solution now available for both Proteus®ONE* and Proteus®PLUS*.

Designed and engineered by Philips, Ambient Experience is an interactive, patient-focused healthcare environment that uses modern technology and people-centric design to create a more comfortable and soothing experience for patients and staff, helping to improve workflows and increase operational effectiveness. Implemented in IBA’s proton therapy gantries, patients are able to select their preferred theme, light, sound and video prior to undergoing treatment. By enhancing the clinical environment, Philips Ambient Experience improves patient comfort and staff experience and satisfaction. In 2014, Philips received an international Red Dot Award for product design for its dedicated Proteus®ONE Ambient Experience solution. The new Ambient Experience development is part of a broader collaboration between the two companies that also includes the joint marketing and sales of IBA’s proton therapy solutions and Philips’ imaging and clinical informatics solutions.

“This new Ambient Experience product is part of a successful larger collaboration between IBA and Philips,” said Francoise Vamecq, Alliance and Strategic Partnership Director at IBA. “Together, we aim to offer a complete solution that puts the patient at the center of care.”

“Patients have an understandable level of fear and stress,” said Werner Satter, Business Leader Healthcare Experience Solutions at Philips. “We have installed hundreds of Ambient Experience solutions globally in radiology departments, emergency departments and treatment rooms in the past 10 years. During that period, we have seen that a purposefully designed patient-centric environment can make a real difference to patients’ experience and state-of-mind.”

"The Philips Ambient Experience is one of the many differentiators of the Proteus®ONE solution,” said Dr. Lane Rosen, M.D. at Willis-Knighton Cancer Center, the first IBA center to use Philips Ambient Experience. “Patients have the ability to change their color themes, music and video. Our patients enjoy the experience as it helps them to relax during treatment and remain still. The Ambient Experience atmosphere is calming for the staff as well as the therapist for this most meticulous of treatments."

"Cancer treatment can be a frightening experience, so making the environment as pleasant as possible is essential to reduce stress,” said Prof. Karol Sikora, Chief Medical Officer of UK-based Proton Partners International, which is currently building three proton therapy centers. “We believe lighting, design and music will help to create a relaxing and soothing experience. And it will make our staff more relaxed too, by creating an atmosphere of greater empathy. We look forward to operating our first center with Philips Ambient Experience next year in Newport, Wales."

In 2016, IBA and Philips plan to equip four additional rooms in the US: three Proteus®PLUS rooms in the Miami Cancer Institute, and one Proteus®ONE at the Royal Oak in Beaumont Michigan. In addition, Philips and IBA have an interesting pipeline of rooms to be equipped with Philips Ambient Experience features in the UK, Middle East, US and Taiwan.

*Proteus®ONE and Proteus®PLUS are the brand names of the Proteus®235.