Integrating LLMs with Grounded Theory to Optimize Acoustic Design in Hospice Care

Hospice care plays an important role in improving the quality of life of terminally ill patients. The design of the nursing environment, especially acoustics and other sensory elements, has a profound impact on psychological well-being. Grounded theory provides an effective method for extracting environmental influencing factors in palliative environments. The study combines semi-structured interviews with online ethnography methods reducing the burden on vulnerable groups while also ensuring data comprehensiveness. Based on the coding of grounded theory, the large language model (LLM) was used to assist researchers in conducting qualitative analysis of factors affecting the hospice experience and exploring the needs of three groups of people related to hospice care (patients, informal caregivers, and medical staff). Patients and their families pay more attention to a quiet, private and comfortable environment, emphasizing reducing noise disturbance. The demand for privacy involves not only sound but also other sensory dimensions. Medical staff emphasize the comfort and controllability of the sound environment to improve work efficiency and relieve the pressure caused by noise. This study demonstrates the potential of AI-assisted qualitative research in the design of healthcare environments, providing an ethical and scalable methodology to support future optimization of palliative care environments.