Creating optimal healing environments

Nurses have long been leaders in creating optimal healing environments (OHEs). Increasingly, a base of evidence about the creation of OHEs is emerging from many disciplines, including nursing, interior design, architecture, neuroscience, psychoneuroimmunology, and environmental psychology, among others. Just as evidence-based practice informs clinical decision-making, evidence-based design impacts the planning and construction of healthcare facilities. Nurses are also in a unique position to carry out needed research on the impact of specific design interventions on intended outcomes. This chapter focuses on the physical environment in which care is provided and the ways in which evidence can be used to create environments that contribute to positive health outcomes. More research is needed to understand the impact of design interventions on the environment of care. Future studies need to rigorously examine the many factors that contribute to healing environments and should focus on staff, as well as patient outcomes.