Healing Spaces

Healing spaces have probably been researched more extensively than any other sort of place (largely because it’s so easy to quantify the results of design actions taken there; after something changes more or less medication is dispensed, people are discharged sooner or later, etc.).  Healthcare environments are also more likely to be designed in ways consistent with research findings.

In a future issue we’ll more completely discuss the design of spaces where people are likely to heal best, so you can be ready for the next visit of chicken pox, etc., to your community.  Here, we’ll talk about the highlights of some of the relevant research that designers apply.

Brains are brains no matter where they are, so any environmental psych research applications in other sorts of spaces are also relevant here.

There’s a reason that there’s a lot of sameness in the layouts of exam rooms, hospital rooms, etc.  Healthcare professionals regularly need to quickly find stuff (oxygen, gloves, etc.) and the research shows that the only way to do that is to lay out each room in the same way.  Research has not been able to identify any more sophisticated way to arrange potentially necessary items than brute force memorization of their locations.  There are other reasons that there is lots of sameness in healthcare design.  For example, consistency in layout can also help nursing staff keep clear views of patients from nursing stations.

Don’t be surprised if you see eyes above the sinks in your hospital room or other healthcare environments.  After all sorts of campaigns to encourage caregivers to wash their hands between treating patients, scientists found that if a pair of eyes (men’s eyes) seem to be staring at a caregiver (those eyes can be painted on a wall, on posterboard, etc.) that caregiver is much more likely to wash their hands.  At a core level, we seem to all respond as children who might be punished, even when we’re powerful surgeons.

Colours are used carefully in healthcare settings.  Since often the people in them are having difficulty understanding the world around them (they’re feverish, waking up after anaesthesia, etc.) darker and lighter colours are placed in very particular places.  As Earth-beings we’ve evolved with the darkest colour in any space under our feet and the lightest one over our heads, that’s the colour distribution that helps us understand where down is when we’re discombobulated because we’ve, for some reason, started to have difficulty locating ourselves in space. When we are unsure where the ground is we become incredibly stressed.

The fact that some of users are having trouble understanding what’s up in our world is why you won’t see abstract art in many patient areas.  People trying to sort out their reality can see too many things that are terrifying in abstract shapes, etc., and all that confusion is terrible for their wellbeing and healing.

To help with mental refreshment, calming, and healing, the frames that don’t contain abstract art are very likely to display nature scenes, ones that feature green rolling fields with clumps of trees and gently moving water.  Research has shown that these can help promote healing by lowering stress levels and encouraging caregivers’ brains to work well.

It’s not a surprise that there are so many options for displaying plants and flowers in hospital rooms and other sorts of healthcare spaces.  Not only are plants calming, they help us mentally refresh and do our best mental work, which is great for both patients and the people visiting and caring for them, who may all need, sometime or other to figure something or other out.  Looking at flowers in particular has been shown to reduce our stress levels, which is also great for all in any healthcare setting.

Hospitals and healthcare facilities do try with the signage and navigation aids, even though it may not seem that they do.  They not only don’t want you to get lost and eat up their time by asking them for directions, they’ve also found that ease of finding a particular site in a healthcare facility influences opinions formed of services provided there;  easier to find => perceive better quality of care, which leads to referrals and income.

Healthcare providers spend a lot of money on creating waiting rooms that you respond positively to because when we think waiting rooms are attractive (for whatever reason, whether we like the way they look or because they have great wi-fi) and seem familiar (at least vaguely like other healthcare waiting rooms we’ve been in) we think we’ve received better medical care, are less anxious, have waited shorter periods of time, and are more likely to recommend the medical professionals’ who “own” the waiting area to others.  There’s been lots of research done in dentists’ waiting rooms and dentists are apt to apply findings, they know that visits to their offices make us tense.  Research in dentists offices has determined that the smell of oranges decreases our anxiety levels; in waiting area fish tanks also help reduce patient stress levels.

Specialized care areas have also been thoroughly investigated.  Research has shown for example, that when you are in a psychologist’s or similar professional’s office, you’ll form better impressions of the care you’re receiving if they seem softer (plants, table lamps in use and not bright lighting, rugs, curtains, and upholstery), the space seems orderly, and if the caregiver’s diplomas/training certificates are in view (the more visible the more qualified and energetic they’ll seem).