Revealing attributes of supportive healing environments in interior design: staff perceptions in healthcare design

Abstract

People seeking healthcare anticipate an environment supportive of healing and wellness in acute and ambulatory facilities. Such environments synthesize psychological, social, and physical components shown to effect perceptions of healing (McCullough, 2010). "Well-designed physical environments... foster wellness, whereas poorly designed environments... make people frustrated and thereby contribute to the possibility of illness" (Dilani, 2001, p. 34). Wellness factors need to be clearly identified in designing healthcare facilities, becoming an integral part of the therapeutic process (Dilani, 2001). By observing actual healthcare environments, evidence-informed (Nussbaumer, 2009) design strategies can enlighten stress-free environments by emphasizing strategic opportunities to impact the design of healthy facilities (Ulrich, 2000). The purpose of this research study was to closely examine attributes and factors contributing to a healing environment from the perspective of healthcare staff in a campus ambulatory healthcare setting. The study sought to identify attributes critical to the process of designing healing environments and to examine the presence of a hierarchy of healing attributes to support healthcare designers in their problem-solving and design intentions. Data were collected using an e-survey to the population of healthcare staff, with a response rate of 41% (N = 57). Study findings confirm Dilani (2000) and Ulrich's (1991) theoretical framework but suggest duplicity in the initial conceptual model incorporating these attributes and factors, as derived from their research findings. As a result a revised conceptual model was developed, which needs to be tested in future research.