Medical Care cannot be separated from the buildings in which it is delivered. The quality of space in such buildings affects the outcome of medical care, and architectural design is thus an important part of the healing process ... in a hospital study, views of nature were associated with reduced stress.
New England Journal of Medicine, "Healing by Design" Volume 333 (11) 

Specifically, research shows that design that ignores basic psychological needs may actually lead to anxiety, elevated blood pressure and an increase in the use of pain-relieving drugs. Conversely, a warm and nurturing setting induces a relaxation response that can reduce medication levels and even decrease lengths of stay.
Patient-focused Healing: Integrating Caring and Curing in Health Care, Nancy Moore and Henrietta Komras

"There is suggestive evidence that aspects of the designed environment exert significant effects on clinical outcomes for patients receiving medical care," Haya concluded in her preliminary report.  [Haya Rubin, M.D., Ph.D., Director of Quality of Care Research, Johns Hopkins]
Strategic Management, The Newsletter for Hospital Strategists, Volume 17, Number 2, February 1999

Another vital aspect of the physical environment of the hospital concerns interior design and aesthetics which can have a dramatic impact on the mental and social well being of patients, their families and hospital staff. The use of colour, texture and form to create pleasing environments ... are increasingly important in the health care sector.
International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, "Creating health and health promoting hospitals: a worthy challenge for the twenty-first century" Trevor Hancock 12/2/99 viii-xix

Recent research has provided evidence that the overall hospital environment (in which art can have a vital role) does have an important impact. Roger Ulrich, Texas A&M University, investigated the effects of visual stimulation on the rate of recuperation. He found that patients with vibrant surroundings (e.g., paintings, flowers, an outside view, etc.) recovered three-quarters of a day faster, and needed fewer painkillers than those with dull surroundings ... As Prince Charles has noted: "It can't be easy to be healed in a soulless concrete box with characterless windows, inhospitable corridors, and purely functional wards. The spirit needs healing as well as the body."
The Lancet, Volume 350(9077), Pryle Behrman, August 1997

A landmark study at a suburban Pennsylvania hospital by Roger S. Ulrich, Ph.D., Associate Dean of Research at Texas A&M College of Architecture, found that surgery patients with a window view of a landscape stayed in the hospital an average of three-quarters of a day less than those who looked out onto a drab brick wall. They also took fewer narcotics and required less nursing.
Longevity, "Designed to Heal" Linda Gutstein, December 1993

Clearly, Nightingale had been right in her observation that an attractive physical environment can help people to survive psychologically.
RN, Rosina Fazio Feagin, R.N., B.S., August 1994

Realizing that stark interiors and high-tech equipment can raise patient anxiety, some hospitals are paying closer attention to the role of art in creating environments more conducive to healing and comfort.  "If a hospital is cold and sterile and there's no human comfort in it, that affects a patient's stress level," says Lynn Basa...
Marketplace, "Hospitals recognize link between art and healing"

The PlaneTree concept of providing a personalized, nurturing environment not only helps patients heal physically but cushions the emotional jarring that can occur during hospitalization, says Horowitz, Beth Israel's Chief of Cardiology. With all the priorities that hospital executives are faced with today, many don't understand the value of design and environmental contributions to the outcomes they want to achieve," (Ruga, an architect who founded the Center for Health Design) says.
JAMA, Medical News & Perspectives, "New Trends Aimed at Healing by Design" Vol. 272, No. 24

Now, as far as JCAHO is concerned, a "supportive" environment is just what the doctor ordered. This month, the Joint commission will publish major revisions to its hospital accreditation manual... Hospitals can comply by ... creating welcoming environments that support patient dignity. The changes follow years of work by the Center for Health Design, a Martinez, Calif., group that promotes patient-friendly environments. "Most hospitals don't take patients' needs and preferences into account when it comes to design," says founder and former president Wayne Ruga. "Health care people think of environmental solutions in terms of cost. It's much more a matter of making strategic investments."
Hospitals & Health Networks, "Interiors, Doctored Design" Ken Garber, February 1999

Among hospitals implementing patient-centered care, traditional inpatient units are being transformed by efforts to ease levels of stress on patients ...
Hospitals, "Form Follows Function" Kevin Lumsdon, February 1993

Executives concluded that, by adopting a more humanistic, patient-centered philosophy of care, the organization could significantly enhance the quality of care and level of satisfaction ... the architects even spent some time lying in a hospital bed to understand the patient's perspective on life in a hospital. CEO Bustelos was amazed by the pride employees displayed when talking about the facility and the patient-centered philosophy of care...
Hospitals & Health Networks, "Built-In Care" Ellen Weisman and Mark Hagland, November, 1994


healing ceiling, l.l.c.
healing ceiling, l.l.c.; p.o.box 9609  -tyler, tx  75711
 • p. 903-363-4151