Biophilic design, which is design choices that emphasize our connection to nature, stands to benefit healthcare practices considerably. Having the right materials, natural light, views of nature, and plants in hospitals and medical practices can significantly benefit patients and staff. And even plants alone stand to give significant benefit. For healthcare settings of all kinds, plants and greenery can provide a measurable boost to patient outcomes and staff sentiments.
If you are in charge of the design, décor, upkeep or even wellbeing of patients or staff in a healthcare setting, now is a great time to invest in plant design to bring some proven upgrades to your space.
Research shows that plants and biophilic design are the “X factor” for healthcare
Even in a city like Pittsburgh, which boasts a great healthcare industry and medical school, the role of plants in therapeutics can still be undervalued. While research on biophilic design is still growing, since the 1980s there has been mounting evidence that plants and greenery can improve healthcare settings for patients and staff.
For Patients:
- Views of nature were shown to reduce the time in hospital for surgery patients by 8.5% in a groundbreaking 1984 study.
- Rooms with sunlight decreased a patient’s hospital stay by over 2 days in a 1996 study. In a 2005 study, sunlight was also found to decrease patients’ pain rates and the amount of pain medication needed.
- In 2009, a study showed that patients whose rooms featured plants and flowers had “lower systolic blood pressure, and lower ratings of pain, anxiety, and fatigue than patients in the control room.” They also had higher satisfaction with their rooms.
- In 2023, a literature review found that indoor plants positively impact “relaxation and improved coping mechanisms during the recovery process” of patients in studies over the last 20 years.
- Another literature review examining the use of plants in confined spaces found that greenery in healthcare environments consistently “reduces stress, elevates mood, and improves patients’ perception of their surroundings, often contributing to faster recovery.”
For Staff:
- Staff may experience reduced feelings of burnout when plants are incorporated into healthcare settings. One study showed indoor plants increased wellness and had the potential to lessen or shorten burnout among healthcare professionals.
- One Australian hospital which instituted a staff garden found, qualitatively speaking, that staff had more camaraderie and felt mental health benefits including reduced feelings of burnout.
- The National Health Service in England gave a grant to provide plants for staff that requested them at Torbay Hospital. The team responsible for the project expected a few hundred requests but received 1200, highlighting the desire for greenery at work.
This is just a sample of the studies across the years which show, both in and out of healthcare settings, that plants and other elements of biophilic design make people less stressed, happier, more positive and more resilient.
Ways to incorporate nature into your healthcare space without redesigning your building
While a full biophilic design for a hospital, doctor’s office, dental office, or health clinic might be the “best” practice, most of us do not have the luxury of employing architects to completely redo our workplaces. But while you may not be able to add sunny windows and natural materials to each room, the intervention of plant designs alone can make a huge difference for staff and patients. For example, one study from 2007 showed that plants, specifically, made hospital rooms more attractive and lowered stress.
If you want to begin adding plants to your healthcare practice, we recommend starting with high-impact areas like entrances, receptions and waiting rooms. Having greenery here can ease nerves and relieve stress. It can also give a good first impression, showing that you care about people and the way they feel.
For staff, plants in break rooms or on desks (where appropriate) can go a long way to helping people feel better at work. These can be small plants used as accents or even as a way to divide shared horizontal space. But we also find that adding one larger plant in a communal area provides great impact without having to worry about several smaller plants.
Where appropriate, adding greenery to hallways, vestibules, and other areas patients may walk through to get to/from appointments can also give a positive effect. Something like a living wall is a great way to add plants without taking up square footage.
Don’t forget exterior landscaping: views from windows in waiting rooms or patient rooms, staff taking breaks outside, or even patients and visitors coming and going, can benefit from exterior work. Seeing a charming row of flowers lining a walkway or a burst of greenery in a beautiful container from a hospital room can lift your environment significantly.
Working with Plantscape to improve your healthcare space
As a Pittsburgh native business, not only do we know plants we also know and have worked with healthcare practices across the city. We’re well versed in the specific challenges that healthcare providers face, and offer interior, exterior and maintenance services to give you flexibility when it comes to your designs.
Our process starts by getting to know you and understanding your specific needs as a healthcare provider. We will tour your space to understand exactly where the opportunities lie and provide a comprehensive plant design plan that maximizes the impact we can make with your budget and space.
We then move on to install, where our experienced and respectful team gives you an efficient installation. Whether you have a small office with just a few rooms or a large healthcare campus, we get things done quickly and minimize disruptions to your work.
Then, we move on to maintenance. Our maintenance plans mean you and your staff do not have to do any work to keep your new plant design looking great. We will regularly service your plants, proactively stop problems, and can make continuing recommendations if you need to make any further changes in your space.
We have a wide selection of high-quality plants, containers and other accessories. We can advise on and procure whatever plants will work best for your space, including low-light and low-maintenance options, low-pollen and non-toxic plants.
We can also provide industry-leading replica plant solutions through our sister company, Elements. This is a great option for those who are worried about live plants or for spaces where live plants aren’t viable. Elements is an industry leader in replica plants and does incredible work, to the point that people often have a hard time distinguishing them from live plants.
Give your Pittsburgh-area healthcare practice a lift for patients and staff
If you’re ready to start thinking about how to incorporate plants into your healthcare setting, reach out today. We offer free consultations and can help you understand what your options are. We’ve been seeing the power of plants since 1973, when we started transforming businesses in and around Pittsburgh, and we would love to bring our expertise to your project.
