Healing Hospital: a Daring Paradigm Essay

In order to eliminate the inefficiencies witnessed in many public and private hospitals that serve a number of patients, an integrated approach to handling the daily workload is necessary. There is need for all departments within the hospital to work closely together in ensuring more effective and efficient service deliveries. In this paper, a planned change is going to be carried out involving designing a new system that incorporates all the departments within the hospital. This includes the surgery department, pediatrics department, dentistry department, nursing department, pharmacy departments, laboratory and testing department, X-ray and Physiotherapy departments, Equipment maintenance and Engineering department, Information Technology

This hospital is a 65-bed rural hospital but it is the job of every hospital to give the best patient care possible. With a

The first component speaks of a healing environment. This is an environment that is restful to the patient and the patient‘s family. There are no overhead paging, no sweepers going down the hall at night, promotion of a calming stress free environment for staff and patients to connect with their internal spirituality. The implementation of something as simple as a relaxation garden or massage treatment can go far in helping a patient rejuvenate so that they can move forward.

When considering this the color of the environment plays a big part of the healing environment. The use of chromotherapy, color healing, is essential when considering a healing environment. Green is considered the universal color for healing (Stefanidakis, 2001). Using colors appropriately in the hospital environment can encourage emotional responses to enhance healing. If the incorrect colors are utilized the patient may present with symptoms of irritability instead of peacefulness or cheerfulness which could inhibit healing. Furthermore, the hospitals interior plays a major role in the healing process. Spirituality will be promoted if the interior reflects the hint of a religious atmosphere such as exercising specific religious artifacts spirituality will be promoted. Hospitals can also incorporate unrestricted visiting, decorative fountains, fireplaces, skylights and healing gardens to help provide a relaxing environment which decreases stress for their customer population.

Therapeutic environment theory is an area of environmental psychology which also links in with neuroscience and immunology. A place of therapy can be a setting such as a hospital, as it is used for application of therapy or treatment. On the other hand the term therapeutic environment refers to any environment that is designed intentionally to have a therapeutic effect on individuals. A hospital may be considered therapeutic in itself because it is a place where people are treated. However settings such gardens can be used for their therapeutic benefits, thus application of such surrounds can be used in therapy; such as healing gardens. Hospitals may be a place of therapy, however it is also a place patients may experience a lot of stress due to health concerns. This in turn causes the immune system to weaken and may affect their emotional wellbeing. Thus, it is important hospitals are designed to be more therapeutic in order to decrease stress. This essay will consider how hospitals can be considered more therapeutic and what aspects contribute to this.

However, they must be health both in mind and body to do so successfully and carefully. In focusing on the physiological and psychological stresses which are eating away at present healthcare works. It becomes apparent that though they are an important part in the care, healing and recover of humans, they themselves are falling victim to the many illness they currently cure, physical and emotional stress and personal protection against armful

The patient is the most important stakeholder making healthcare design crucial. Also, to reduce the number of errors in healthcare, it is imperative to build a plan that will further decrease the number of errors to ensure the safety of the patients. Also, to eliminate the inefficiencies in the delivery of care and to increase the response time for patients. Another critical need of the patients design should include patient-centeredness that can give the patient access to health information, signs that are noticeable to locate various areas of a hospital, and adequate space for relatives (Reiling, Hughes, & Murphy, 2008). The facility should have the appropriate equipment, technology, and health providers to give the correct medical care

A healing hospital is a place that is patient centric and focuses on making the patient relaxed and allow healing in a peaceful environment. The three aspects of a healing hospital include a quiet environment, integrating technology into care, and providing compassionate care to patients. These components are beneficial to both hospital staff and patients. “By providing a noise-free environment caregivers are less apt to get distracted” (Eberst, 2008, pg. 78). When hospital staff have a calm environment where they can think through situations, the right decision is more likely to be made. Distractions can be detrimental to the health of a patient. Nurses should be confident in their decision making process and know that they are making the right choice. Using technology efficiently in healthcare can speed up results which allows doctors to create a

Ulrich’s position on supportive design is that improving the environment of a Hospital/Medical care setting would overall improve the attitudes of patient and staff alike, allowing for a more positive healing experience. His first example of this is fostering control, including privacy. He says that people’s conditions would improve if they have options like: bedside dimmers, privacy in imaging areas, remote control televisions, and headphones to listen to music. People who feel they have some control over their circumstances deal better with stress and have better health than persons who lack a sense of control. His second example of this is to promote social support by adding comfortable waiting areas with movable seating, convenient access to food, telephones, and rest rooms, and convenient overnight accommodations. People who are isolated experience more stress,

Receiving treatment within a hospital setting can be scary for anyone, especially if you have an undiagnosed issue, or have to remain under residential hospital care. The environment, the smell, the strange faces and medications, all contribute to the experience. As an adult, we have a lot more ability to comprehend the on-goings on hospital procedures. But, for a moment, imagine you were a young child, or even a youthful teenager who may not fully grasp things that may be happening to their bodies or mental abilities during their stay at the hospital. Now, not only are you faced with the presenting problem that brought you to the hospital, but you also have additional stress, nervousness, and fears that may present. For this reason, it is extremely important to focus on all aspects of an individual’s well being. This includes their mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual care, otherwise known as the bio-psycho-social perspective in Social Work.

“We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us” (Campbell, n.d.). Spirituality has many definitions, for many people of different ages, genders religions and cultural backgrounds, having spirituality has proven to improve quality of life and patient outcomes. The concept of spirituality, clarification of its meaning, in addition to its influence on patient outcomes will be explored using Walker and Avant’s Concept Analysis Method (2012) The aim of this paper is to gain a deeper understanding of how patients, nurses and people from all religions and cultures understand the concept of ‘spirituality’.

It has been established that a healing environment has a positive effect on the human being given the information mentioned above. In addition, healing architecture suggests that the incorporation of natural elements during the design process of the building is essential. The investigation on the themes of healing architecture lead to the conclusion that “the luminous environment plays an important role and an integral part of the hospital’s healing environment (Aripin, 2006).However, it was noticed that “many studies on the subject of daylight focus on schools, offices and commercial buildings but few on hospitals” (Aripin, 2006).Therefore ,a decision was made in investigating how daylight can be used efficiently in a hospital setting in order to promote an effective healing environment.

Two of the aspects that make up all environments are the seen and unseen components (“Lecture 3”, 2016). These are especially relevant in healing hospitals because the things patients see, hear, and feel can affect the healing process and their experience at the hospital. The artistic and aesthetic components that make up healing hospitals would include sun-filled rooms, peaceful spaces, calming interiors, gardens, artwork, new technology, and more (Day, 2016). Sun-filled rooms are key to healing (Day, 2016). It is when a room has big windows that allow the sunlight to shine in and provide a view for the patients. This can be very important part for some patient’s spirituality because it allows light to come in. Light can often been seen as God’s presence which brings comfort. Peaceful spaces offer a quiet place for patients and visitors to go when they need to sleep, relax and/or get away. This can be a time for

Hospital administration should concentrate more attention to patients’ problems and should provide better answer to patients’ queries. .

The hospital environment psychologically affects cancer patients of all ages in positive and negative ways. During hospitalization a patient can, unfortunately, experience sleep disturbances, a pressured care environment, disagreeable food ,and an uninspiring care facility. However, the hospital can include calming photography or decorations, advice from other patients, and empathetic hospital staff. Cancer patients receiving treatment should be exposed to an elite care system that completely encourages their healing. Numerous studies have been conducted to investigate various aspects of the hospital surroundings. A positive experience in the hospital can increase the patients’ rate of healing and feeling of hope as they receive treatment.