Hospital Doctor, 1 MAY 2003
Review: CAN ARCHITECTURE HELP THE HEALING PROCESS ?

That, [ the boiled frog syndrome ] according to architect and health care observer Thomas Saunders, represents the fate of patients in our air-conditioned, artificially lit, technology-focused hospitals. Of course, we mammals do not give in so easily to temperature swings. But Mr. Saunders argues that sick humans adapt to hospital conditions at the expense of their own recovery. He believes modern medicine has largely lost sight of the importance of pleasant surroundings, natural light, diurnal rhythms, fresh air, peace, quiet and privacy. Instead, he says, hospitals are designed ' for the convenience of the staff, ' with a round-the- clock bombardment of noise, light and other disturbances.

Basic hospitality
He says patients are often confused and demoralised before they even see a health professional because they are bewildered by the hospital lay-out. Even prestigious teaching hospitals sometimes fail to provide the basic hospitality of a clearly marked front entrance. Little wonder, then that confidence and morale are sapped from the very start.

Although many medical professionals might take issue with some of Mr. Saunders’s enthusiasms – which embrace feng shui, Hindu chakra philosophy and an entrenched horror of the electromagnetic fields generated by medical equipment – there are plenty who agree wholeheartedly with the sheer common sense of providing sick people with a comfortable, healing environment.


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