Exploring the Concept of Customer-Perceived Intimacy in Healthscapes

Background —It is recognized that servicescapes (i.e. the manmade physical surroundings in which a
service takes place) both affect customer and employee attitudes and behaviours. This is particularly
the case in healthcare servicescapes (i.e. healthscapes) as studies demonstrated that an
improvement in the healthscape can contribute to positive outcomes such as enhanced healing
process. However, little is known about such a relationship can happen. Accordingly, we examine the
concept of customer-perceived intimacy (CPI) as improving healthscapes can contribute to positive
outcomes through the creation of CPI. We focus on CPI as, in healthcare, the intimacy of the
customers (i.e., patients) is often under stress as they have to relinquish privacy by disclosing
embarrassing personal information and/or intimate body parts.
Objective – Based on an extended multidisciplinary literature review and 30 in-depth interviews
with mothers who delivered a baby at the hospital, this paper aims to explore the concept of
customer-perceived intimacy (CPI) in healthscapes. The authors offer a conceptualization of CPI in
healthscapes together with a conceptual framework to highlight both the antecedents (i.e., the
design and architectural components of the healthscape) and the short-term and long-term
outcomes of CPI.
Results – The findings of this study suggest that there is considerable potential for intimate
situations to be wrought with problems involving complexities associated with human cognition,
emotions, physiological responses, and behaviours. Customer-perceived intimacy (CPI) is caused by a
holistic combination of intangible (i.e. interpersonal) and tangible factors (i.e. design of the physical
healthcare environment) within the healthscape. This leads to higher levels of understanding of
service systems and their fundamental role in human well-being. The authors argue that healthscape
design focused on CPI is necessary to make service systems more socially inclusive.
Contribution – This research provides a conceptual framework. In doing so, a solid foundation for
future inquiry has been laid.