Healing environments

Hospitals aren’t the coziest of places. Rooms are often walled in, there is hardly any green outside area for patients to relax, you have to share bathrooms, and it is extremely monotonous with no variation in colors, materials, lighting and furniture. As if ending up in hospital wasn’t bad enough as it was.

This should change according to architect Milee Herweijer, who will be defending her doctoral dissertation on ‘healing environments’ on Friday 22 April. “Those involved in designing and constructing hospitals often have little scientific knowledge of ‘healing environments’: the positive influence of the physical environment on the health and well being of patients”, said Herweijer.

The term ‘healing environment’ is frequently used by those involved in the design and construction of hospitals, but what does it actually mean? As Herweijer discovered, the term has many meanings. Some define it as a patient-friendly approach and others mean a building with good natural light.

Herweijer argues that we should focus on scientifically supported knowledge – Evidence-Based Design – particularly during the design process. “Surprisingly enough, this knowledge is not that widespread in the Netherlands and I want to do something about this with my research.”

In the USA, in particular, there is a wealth of information on what elements actually affect the healing process. For example, patients feel better in single rooms, preferably with good acoustics and lighting. Having a room to yourself reduces the risk of infection from other patients and – more importantly – it offers more privacy. Patients also sleep more soundly in single rooms. Views of nature, good natural lighting and the possibility to spent time in natural gardens or indoor patio’s all add to a sense of well-being. This results in less stress, less experienced pain, improved sleep and ultimately quicker recovery.

Well-designed areas for medical staff and minimising walking distances to the patient – for example by establishing decentralised nurses stations – are also important. They ensure that the staff have more time for their patients and they also take more pleasure in their work. Lack of privacy in waiting rooms and examination rooms is counter-productive. It can make patients feel embarrassed and, as a result, they may then be less open with the doctor, which makes it difficult for the medical staff to provide the best diagnosis.

Herweijer performed a literature review which formed the basis for a checklist of physical measures proven to be effective. She applied this checklist in nine recently built hospitals in the Netherlands. She argues that hospitals capitalise on too few opportunities to use building design to promote the healing process.

There is no readily available information on this subject in the Netherlands or a centre of expertise, such as the Center for Health Design in the USA, that gathers such knowledge. Herweijer argues that we should make more of this information available in the Netherlands and share it by setting up a similar centre, for example.