Design isn’t just an aesthetic luxury in health care; it’s a core, health-related area. We’re learning that when you use scientific evidence to drive the design of health care environments and processes, you impact a wide variety of factors, from medical errors and nosocomial infections to stress and staff turnover. Medical care cannot be separated from the buildings in which it is delivered.

C. Robert Horsburgh¹

As noted in the “Surroundings” overview, numerous elements contribute to making a space a healing environment. Sensory inputs –what staff and patients see, hear, smell and feel all make an impact. Layout and architecture do too. Making good use of these elements is referred to as environmental design. This clinical tool focuses on key research findings that can inform how you, as a health care professional, can enhance hospital, clinic, and other patient care locations, but many of the tips are relevant to home or office spaces as well. What follows are thirteen tips, grouped into six categories. Even making one small change can make a big difference.

General Principles²

Tip #1. Give people choices.

A greater sense of control equals less stress. If people can control their surroundings, e.g. if they can adjust a thermostat, choose music or TV channels, decide where they want to sit, or control the timing and content of their meals, they will be better off. Being able to bring comforting items from home, if desired, can allow for a heightened sense of control and familiarity.³

Similarly, allowing staff to give input into artwork, room furnishings, and their overall work environment will enable them to function more effectively in their workspaces. One study found that nurses spend over a third of their time walking, so making items they need convenient to rooms will increase how much time they can spend with direct patient care.⁴

Tip #2. Enhance human connection.

Having family and friends present supports healing. If waiting rooms and lounges are comfortable, if hospital rooms and post-operative recovery areas have more space for visitors, and if there is space for loved ones to stay overnight, this makes a big difference. All that being said, patients experience globally better care in the hospital setting if they have private rooms (which also allow family to be present). Courtesy, on the part of every single person in a facility, from the receptionist and housekeeping person, to the phlebotomist, nurse, and consulting team members, is of central importance