Eleventh International Conference on Health, Wellness & Society

Abstract

While research on the health benefits of contact with nature have blossomed over the last three decades, a significant gap still exists between experimental findings and real world applications. The work reported represents an effort to bridge that gap. In addition to the inevitable stresses associated with illness, many healthcare spaces also subject patients and medical staff to two additional but avoidable sources of stress: lack of contact with nature and perceptible change. Potential design-based remedies for these deficiencies are proposed in four common types of healthcare space in which patients are often required to wait for long periods: waiting rooms, examination rooms, outpatient treatment suites, and inpatient bedrooms. The designs proposed apply the findings of published research on the stress-reducing effects of natural indoor animation to these four specific healthcare environments in ways that accommodate both patient and healthcare provider needs. The final planned phase of the work will use electronic questionnaires to measure the effects of animated and static versions of the four room types on the stress levels of both patients and medical staff.