A hospital stay can be one of the most stressful experiences in anyone’s life.
Hospital patients often experience stress from feelings of lack of control and go through profound bouts of depression. This intense stress can lead to a variety of damaging physiological conditions, such as the release of stress hormones and increases in blood pressure and muscle tension. Hormones released from stress can suppress a patient’s immune system, slow the healing process, and increase the length of hospital stays. Conversely, reducing the stress levels of patients by creating soothing and welcoming environments facilitates recovery and health. Contemporary neuroscience research has demonstrated that our immune, endocrine, nervous systems, and emotional states continually interact and influence each other, making the mind/body dualism an important aspect of the healing process.
Increasingly, medical experts agree that the creation and maintenance of a healing environment is an important aspect of patient care. The establishment of a healing environment, with the right furniture, art, and other home]like accents can help improve a patient’s attitude, reduce their stress levels, and generally enhance the healing process.
There is also evidence that creating healing environments makes compelling financial sense for hospitals. The Center for Health Design believes that healing designs save hospitals money by decreasing lengths of patients’ stays, decreasing nursing care hours, reducing supply costs, deceasing the use of strong pain medication, increasing staff and physician satisfaction and retention, and increasing market share due to patient satisfaction.
Carline Young and Cyndine Coopsen, in their book Spiritually, Health, and Healing, suggest that furniture for healing environments have the following features:
- Flexible seating that facilitates guests staying overnight in patient rooms. Mountains of medical research prove that the presence and support of family and friends lowers patient stress and increases the healing process. For example, an article by Uchino and Garvey in the 1997 issue of the Journal of Behavioral Medicine proved that the presence of social support accelerated the recovery times of heart patients. By providing flexible seating that can double as sleeping furniture, hospitals encourage loving friends and family to provide mental and emotional support.
- Comfortable chairs and recliners equipped with neck and lumbar support. In the book The Relaxation Response, Dr. Herbert Benson states that to achieve a state of relaxation an individual needs, at minimum, a comfortable position and an object to dwell upon. Obviously, a comfortable chair fulfills these conditions and can help patients achieve a state of relaxation.
- Chairs that are easy to get in and out of. Easily accessible chairs lower the stress that patients experience while moving around their rooms. Patient]friendly chairs enable independence and impart an important sense of control in a situation where they may feel that many factors are beyond their control. Giving patients multiple options other than the bed for sitting increases a sense of empowerment. In addition, these specialty medical chairs lower stress and strain that many healthcare workers regularly experience.
- Furniture with upholstery that is easy to clean and maintain as well as aesthetically appealing and comfortable. Current research demonstrates that anti]microbial, easy]to]clean, and comfortable chairs can make a significant impact on a patient’s physical comfort and mental state.
While it may be easy to overlook the role of furnishings in hospital settings, an increasing number of health care professionals believe that chairs and other furniture items are important aspects of patient care. Contact Scope Technologies at 888.443.9888 or www.scopemdcare.com for more information.
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