When color psychologist Angela Wright first saw the new mammography platform MAMMOMAT^® Inspiration, she was impressed: “This new product from Siemens is a brilliant realization of color psychology! Breast examination is inevitably an anxiety-provoking experience – from the experience of being held in a system to the fear of what might be found, so almost any warm, soft color will help to ease negative feelings.”
The use of color has long been associated with stimulating human feelings and emotions. The tones people use to decorate their homes, the shade of car they choose to drive, even the clothes they pick out to wear, all have deeper meanings that lock into their psychology. To provide for the patient’s well-being in everyday clinical situations, it is only fitting to apply this knowledge to the development of healthcare solutions as well.

Psychology is what Siemens had in mind when the company introduced the new digital mammography platform MAMMOMAT Inspiration. A unique feature of this product is the optional MoodLight panel. With MoodLight, the user has the possibility to light the panel in any color. It can even be configured so that colors change automatically after a few seconds. The option to use different colors, with each color evoking a different mood during an examination, enables mammographers to respond to the broad spectrum of attitudes and feelings that the exam may provoke in patients.
One of the first hospitals to use the system is St. John’s Hospital in West Lothian, United Kingdom. Julie Graham, Lead Mammographer at St. John’s, comments, “The system gives us great flexibility in the choice of colors. We’ve used the peach colour tones the most as this is warm and welcoming and as we examine one - two men per week, we would certainly avoid pinks or other typically feminine colors at these times as it would be too intimidating.”

Psychologist Angela Wright is convinced that colors do not only have a positive effect in mammography, but in healthcare in general: “Many people think that color is just a matter of vision – essentially cosmetic in its effects – but the truth is that color affects us physiologically as well as emotionally and aesthetically, every waking moment, whether we are conscious of it or not. It is therefore a crucially important element in healthcare.” Wright explains that each color has very specific properties that can be used to actively improve a patient’s mood. For instance, orange is a sensual colour and may function as a remedy for feelings of debility, whereas blue excites feelings of calmness or serenity and can calm very nervous and anxious patients.