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 * 05-24-22


9 WAYS DESIGN CAN ACTUALLY HELP YOU HEAL IN THE HOSPITAL


PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF A HOSPITAL’S INTERIOR SPACE CAN HAVE A BIG POSITIVE IMPACT
ON PATIENTS’ MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH.

[Photo: Marianna Lishchenco/Getty Images]
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By Mohsen Rasoulivalajoozi and Golriz Farzamfar 4 minute Read

Long before COVID-19 made the public aware of the importance of good air
ventilation, designers have been concerned with how physical environments affect
people’s well-being and mental health.




In the 20th century, hospital design underwent a profound change. Hospitals used
to be a place for only the treatment of diseases and injuries — or places
strongly associated with death.

By the mid-20th century, due to medical and technological advances and the
growth, development and professionalization of diversified approaches to health
care, hospitals had become centers of health systems. Nowadays, hospitals are
not only places for treating disease and illness; they’re also institutions for
promoting physical and psychological health, and places of recovery and healing.

Today, patients expect more than just treatment. As hospitals’ mandates and
missions have shifted, so has hospital design.




HEALING ENVIRONMENTS

For designing healing environments, significant advances have been made that
support a patient’s process of recovery. The concept of a healing environment
puts the patient at the center of hospital and health design.

To this end, in addition to patients’ clinical needs, their psychological and
mental needs must also be taken into consideration in the design process.

For example, empirical research has shown that natural daylight, contact with
nature, and a pleasant indoor environment promote a sense of well-being that
benefits patient recovery.





A terrarium in the lobby of the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, seen
here in 2014, offers both natural daylight and contact with nature. [Photo:
Nagel Photography/Shutterstock]Physical aspects of hospital interior spaces can
all contribute positively to patients’ health and state of mind.




PATIENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF CONTROL

Design researcher Roger Ulrich conceptualizes how the physical and social
environments in health-care settings can affect patients’ well-being, including
reducing stress. He calls this theory “supportive design.”

Each of these elements can be viewed as an opportunity for improving a patient’s
spatial experience.According to this theory, all the challenges and
considerations for improving the health environment can be classified into three
main branches: perceptions of control, social support, and positive distraction.



To allow patients to perceive a sense of control in their environment, some
studies have focused on the value of mapping and wayfinding at the planning
phase of hospital design that more beneficially result in helping patients to
navigate independently.


SOCIAL SUPPORTS

Access to social support reduces patient levels of psychological distress during
their presence in the treatment centre environments.

This can be facilitated by providing patients with access to private and quiet
spaces, where they can discuss personal information or express their needs to
family, friends, and hospital staff.



As an example, arranging furniture that provides acoustic and visual privacy for
patients in hospital public spaces can be an intervention to provide a sense of
social support.


POSITIVE DISTRACTION

Positive distraction is mainly concerned with anything that can catch a
patient’s attention or interest, leading to a positive state of mind or mood.

Therefore, visual distraction elements such as televisions, reading materials,
indoor plants, views of nature, or artwork can remarkably contribute to a
feeling of well-being. Patients might access nature not only through windows
with scenic views, but also in paintings or art depicting nature in abstract or
realistic styles.




PATIENT, FAMILY, STAFF ROLES

For example, as elements of positive distraction, patients can bring their
personal belongings to the hospital room such as a small plant, pillow and
blanket or their own reading materials or arts and craft supplies.Patients,
families, caregivers and hospital managers can also help to create a healing
environment for patients.

Families and the staff can help to generate pleasant conditions and space for
patients to hang patients’ artwork or preferred images on the wall.


DESIGN INCORPORATED INTO HOSPITAL PROTOCOLS

With adequate resourcing, healthcare providers could have more tools to improve
patients’ states of mind through small design ideas that can be incorporated
into hospital protocols.



For example, providing a whiteboard on the patient room wall would allow the
families, patients, and staff to draw figures of nature or write positive
messages.

To help bolster a patient’s perception of control, hospital staff could draw a
patient’s name on the glass window of their room with a smiley face to help them
find their room.

To offer social support, hospital managers can provide free and easy access to
Wi-Fi or telephone for patients in all spaces of the hospital. Curtains or
blinds can be considered in hospital public spaces such as waiting areas to
offer flexibility for patients who prefer to communicate privately with hospital
staff or their family members.


[Photo: Martha Dominguez de Gouveia/Unslash]


INCLUDING HEALTH-CARE STAFF, PATIENTS IN DESIGN

Although patients, staff and families can independently help to improve the
patient’s spatial experiment, designers should also include them in the design
process.

Accordingly, designers and researchers can benefit from this design approach
that is connected with the role of health-care staff, caregivers and patients to
improve healing environments in hospitals.

Mohsen Rasoulivalajoozi is a PhD candidate, Individualized Program, Faculty of
Fine Arts, at Concordia University and Golriz Farzamfar is a Research Assistant,
Design and Computation Arts at Concordia University. This article is republished
from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original
article.





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FAST COMPANY

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 * Recommender
 * Innovation Festival 360IF360
 * Subscribe
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 * FastCo Works
    * AWS
    * Genpact
    * IBM


 * HOMEPAGE


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 * TECH


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 * IMPACT


 * PODCASTS


 * VIDEO


 * RECOMMENDER


 * INNOVATION FESTIVAL 360


 * SUBSCRIBE

Help Center
fastco works


 * AWS


 * DELOITTE


 * DEPT


 * ELEVATE PRIZE


 * EY


 * IBM


 * KLARNA


 * VISA


 * FASTCO WORKS
   
   An award-winning team of journalists, designers, and videographers who tell
   brand stories through Fast Company's distinctive lens

FC Executive Board
collections


 * FAST GOVERNMENT
   
   The future of innovation and technology in government for the greater good


 * MOST INNOVATIVE COMPANIES
   
   Fast Company's annual ranking of businesses that are making an outsize impact


 * MOST CREATIVE PEOPLE
   
   Leaders who are shaping the future of business in creative ways


 * WORLD CHANGING IDEAS
   
   New workplaces, new food sources, new medicine--even an entirely new economic
   system


 * INNOVATION BY DESIGN
   
   Celebrating the best ideas in business

Newsletter
Events


 * INNOVATION FESTIVAL

Courses and LearningAdvertiseCurrent Issue
Current Issue
SUBSCRIBE
Follow us:

advertisement

advertisement

 * 05-24-22


9 WAYS DESIGN CAN ACTUALLY HELP YOU HEAL IN THE HOSPITAL


PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF A HOSPITAL’S INTERIOR SPACE CAN HAVE A BIG POSITIVE IMPACT
ON PATIENTS’ MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH.

[Photo: Marianna Lishchenco/Getty Images]
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 

By Mohsen Rasoulivalajoozi and Golriz Farzamfar 4 minute Read

Long before COVID-19 made the public aware of the importance of good air
ventilation, designers have been concerned with how physical environments affect
people’s well-being and mental health.

advertisement

advertisement



In the 20th century, hospital design underwent a profound change. Hospitals used
to be a place for only the treatment of diseases and injuries — or places
strongly associated with death.

By the mid-20th century, due to medical and technological advances and the
growth, development and professionalization of diversified approaches to health
care, hospitals had become centers of health systems. Nowadays, hospitals are
not only places for treating disease and illness; they’re also institutions for
promoting physical and psychological health, and places of recovery and healing.

Today, patients expect more than just treatment. As hospitals’ mandates and
missions have shifted, so has hospital design.

advertisement



HEALING ENVIRONMENTS

For designing healing environments, significant advances have been made that
support a patient’s process of recovery. The concept of a healing environment
puts the patient at the center of hospital and health design.

To this end, in addition to patients’ clinical needs, their psychological and
mental needs must also be taken into consideration in the design process.

For example, empirical research has shown that natural daylight, contact with
nature, and a pleasant indoor environment promote a sense of well-being that
benefits patient recovery.

advertisement




A terrarium in the lobby of the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, seen
here in 2014, offers both natural daylight and contact with nature. [Photo:
Nagel Photography/Shutterstock]Physical aspects of hospital interior spaces can
all contribute positively to patients’ health and state of mind.




PATIENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF CONTROL

Design researcher Roger Ulrich conceptualizes how the physical and social
environments in health-care settings can affect patients’ well-being, including
reducing stress. He calls this theory “supportive design.”

Each of these elements can be viewed as an opportunity for improving a patient’s
spatial experience.According to this theory, all the challenges and
considerations for improving the health environment can be classified into three
main branches: perceptions of control, social support, and positive distraction.

advertisement


To allow patients to perceive a sense of control in their environment, some
studies have focused on the value of mapping and wayfinding at the planning
phase of hospital design that more beneficially result in helping patients to
navigate independently.


SOCIAL SUPPORTS

Access to social support reduces patient levels of psychological distress during
their presence in the treatment centre environments.

This can be facilitated by providing patients with access to private and quiet
spaces, where they can discuss personal information or express their needs to
family, friends, and hospital staff.

advertisement


As an example, arranging furniture that provides acoustic and visual privacy for
patients in hospital public spaces can be an intervention to provide a sense of
social support.


POSITIVE DISTRACTION

Positive distraction is mainly concerned with anything that can catch a
patient’s attention or interest, leading to a positive state of mind or mood.

Therefore, visual distraction elements such as televisions, reading materials,
indoor plants, views of nature, or artwork can remarkably contribute to a
feeling of well-being. Patients might access nature not only through windows
with scenic views, but also in paintings or art depicting nature in abstract or
realistic styles.

advertisement



PATIENT, FAMILY, STAFF ROLES

For example, as elements of positive distraction, patients can bring their
personal belongings to the hospital room such as a small plant, pillow and
blanket or their own reading materials or arts and craft supplies.Patients,
families, caregivers and hospital managers can also help to create a healing
environment for patients.

Families and the staff can help to generate pleasant conditions and space for
patients to hang patients’ artwork or preferred images on the wall.


DESIGN INCORPORATED INTO HOSPITAL PROTOCOLS

With adequate resourcing, healthcare providers could have more tools to improve
patients’ states of mind through small design ideas that can be incorporated
into hospital protocols.

advertisement


For example, providing a whiteboard on the patient room wall would allow the
families, patients, and staff to draw figures of nature or write positive
messages.

To help bolster a patient’s perception of control, hospital staff could draw a
patient’s name on the glass window of their room with a smiley face to help them
find their room.

To offer social support, hospital managers can provide free and easy access to
Wi-Fi or telephone for patients in all spaces of the hospital. Curtains or
blinds can be considered in hospital public spaces such as waiting areas to
offer flexibility for patients who prefer to communicate privately with hospital
staff or their family members.

advertisement

[Photo: Martha Dominguez de Gouveia/Unslash]


INCLUDING HEALTH-CARE STAFF, PATIENTS IN DESIGN

Although patients, staff and families can independently help to improve the
patient’s spatial experiment, designers should also include them in the design
process.

Accordingly, designers and researchers can benefit from this design approach
that is connected with the role of health-care staff, caregivers and patients to
improve healing environments in hospitals.

Mohsen Rasoulivalajoozi is a PhD candidate, Individualized Program, Faculty of
Fine Arts, at Concordia University and Golriz Farzamfar is a Research Assistant,
Design and Computation Arts at Concordia University. This article is republished
from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original
article.


advertisement

advertisement

advertisement

advertisement








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How this CEO is changing the way we bake
Bread Alone is the first commercial bakery in the US to Operate on 100%
renewable energy bakery. The family run business have been baking with organic
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IMPACT

Impact


TO HELP DISPLACED UKRAINIANS, A NEW CAMPAIGN WILL SEND THOUSANDS OF BIKES TO
LVIV

Impact


HE QUIT GOOGLE TO WORK ON CLIMATE CHANGE. NOW, HE’S HELPING OTHERS DO THE SAME
THING

Impact


HOW MUCH COULD RENEWABLE SOURCES LIKE SOLAR AND THERMAL SHAPE OUR FUTURE ENERGY
NEEDS?


NEWS

News


KLARNA’S LAID-OFF WORKERS ARE THE LATEST CASUALTY OF TECH’S CULT OF PERSONALITY

News


HERE’S WHAT BIG TECH COMPANIES PAID THEIR AVERAGE WORKER LAST YEAR

News


HOW TO GET BUDDING TIKTOK STARS TO HYPE YOUR PRODUCTS, WITHOUT PAYING INFLUENCER
PRICES


CO.DESIGN

Co.Design


IS A MASS TIMBER CONSTRUCTION BOOM COMING TO AMERICA?

Co.Design


18% OF OFFICES ARE VACANT. HERE’S A BRILLIANT IDEA FOR HOW TO USE THAT SPACE

Co.Design


AIR TRAVEL HAS CHANGED DRAMATICALLY. THESE DELTA TERMINALS GOT A $12 BILLION
UPGRADE TO KEEP UP


WORK LIFE

Work Life


A TEAM SHAKEUP REQUIRES AN OPEN CULTURE. HERE’S HOW TO BE MORE CANDID

Work Life


WHY THIS LEADER IS TOTALLY COOL WITH HIS TOP PLAYERS MOVING ON

Work Life


5 HABITS THAT SLOWLY CHIP INTO YOUR PRODUCTIVITY LEVELS

 * Advertise
 * Privacy Policy
 * Terms
 * Notice of Collection
 * Do Not Sell My Data
 * Permissions
 * Help Center
 * About Us
 * Site Map
 * Fast Company & Inc © 2022 Mansueto Ventures, LLC
 * 





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