Healing environments 1935636 148572657 2007-08-01T20:49:53Z Uthbrian 562409 Categorizing article - [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Categories/uncategorized|You can help!]] {{Orphan|date=September 2006}} '''Healing environment''', for [[healthcare]] buildings describes a physical setting and [[organizational culture]] that supports [[patient]]s and families through the [[stress (medicine)|stresses]] imposed by illness, hospitalization, medical visits, the process of healing, and sometimes, bereavement. The philosophy that guides this concept is rooted in research in the [[neuroscience]]s, [[environmental psychology]], [[psychoneuroimmunology]], and [[evolutionary biology]]. The common thread linking these bodies of research is the physiological effects of stress on the individual and the ability to heal. Psychologically supportive environments enable patients and families to cope with and transcend illness. There is considerable confusion about what constitutes a healing environment. Some refer to what we have come to know as "hospitality healthcare design" of the 1980s as healing environments. While some [[hotel]]s have a high level of [[design]] and drama which may be aesthetically appealing, they generally lack those qualities that one would consider to be restorative or conducive to physical, emotional, and [[Faith healing|spiritual healing]]. The goal of all healing environments is to engage patients in the conscious process of [[self-healing]] and spiritual growth. Spaces are designed to be nurturing and therapeutic and, most important, to reduce stress. This is a research-based approach to design, aimed at eliminating environmental stressors and putting patients in contact with nature in the treatment setting. ==References== Malkin, Jain; ''Healing Environments at the Century Mark: the Quest for Optimal Patient Experiences''; unpublished article by summarizing a presentation given at a mini-course sponsored by the [[Institute for Healthcare Improvement]] and [[The Center for Health Design]], October 2003. ==External links== * [http://www.healthdesign.org The Center for Health Design], Nonprofit research and advocacy organization that promotes the use of [[evidence-based design]] to create healing environments. [[Category:Interior design]] [[Category:Healthcare]]