Functional Settings of Hospital Outdoor Spaces and the Perceptions from Public and Hospital Occupant during COVID-19

Abstract

Hospital outdoor spaces play an important role for the safety and well-being of users (patients, visitors, and staff), particularly during a pandemic. However, the actual needs of these spaces are often overlooked due to the design and management process. This study investigates the perceptions of the public and occupants on the functional settings of outdoor spaces, and provides evidence for building a safe and resilient hospital during (and after) COVID-19. A multi-method approach of web content analysis (WCA) and a web-based survey was employed. Reports were collected from three mainstream websites; keywords were extracted and then categorized, pertaining to the functional settings of outdoor spaces. Three groups of occupants from Southwest Hospital (staff n = 47, patients n = 64, visitors n = 73) participated in the survey to identify their perceptions of these functional settings. Based on the 657 reports and 33 keywords selected, 7 functional settings were identified: health check (HC), quarantine and observation (QO), food and delivery (FD), healing and restoration (HR), waiting and rest (WR), transportation and parking (TP), load and unload (LU). From all users, HC (4.13) was thought to be the most expected function setting while FD (2.61) was the least. Regarding the satisfaction level, most users were satisfied with HC (3.22) while WR (2.16) was the least satisfying. The users also showed significant differences regarding expectation and satisfaction pertaining to their groups. The results indicate that the current outdoor space could not fully meet the needs of users, regarding the emerging functional setting, due to the pandemic. Users showed significant different perceptions on the functional setting due to their roles. The mismatch between the outdoor space and the users’ needs on emerging functional settings resulted in low satisfaction and high expectation in the survey. Environmental interventions with adaptive and flexible strategies should be adapted for these functional settings. The differences of users should be fully recognized by administrators, decision-makers, and designers.

Challenges of the next generation hospitals: Rethinking the Emergency Department

“…Decontamination outdoor areas should be provided close to the ED, possibly facing the entrance, where temporary and semi-temporary prefabricated volumes (or canopies) can be placed to ensure a confined space with a buffer and pre-triage function. 12 In conclusion, the atrium and waiting areas should be enough dimensioned to facilitate spacing and convertibility to emergency care spaces (easily implemented oxygen and vacuum dispensing facilities should be provided for this purpose).…”

Analysis and Evaluation of Indoor Environment, Occupant Satisfaction, and Energy Consumption in General Hospital in China

“…While some researchers have concentrated on designing the space planning [50] and layout of hospitals, Ma et al examined the public and occupant perceptions of the functional settings of outdoor spaces. Their results revealed that a lack of alignment between the outdoor space and users' emerging functional needs led to low satisfaction and high expectations [51]. A study conducted at inpatient units of a public hospital in Malaysia indicated that the respondents were dissatisfied with the space planning and furniture [52].…”

Hospital Outdoor Spaces as Respite Areas for Healthcare Staff During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Second, hospital outdoor spaces should be accessible, welcoming, and satisfy the needs and requirements of all users, including the ability to relax, view, stroll, exercise, and interact with each other (Iqbal, 2021b; Bengtsson & Grahn, 2014). Lastly, in planning for hospital outdoor spaces, adequate considerations should be given to choosing the right location: away from traffic and other pollution sources, while ensuring that the spaces are neat, safe, have a well-kept landscape and vegetation type that does not deteriorate air quality through pollen, and devoid of hardscape designs (e.g., concrete), overcrowding, loud noise, and smoking (Ma et al, 2021; Ulrich, 2002). Lack of space and resources should not hinder the creation of outdoor gardens as their potential benefits outweigh the economic concerns.…”

“…The literature advocate and reiterate the importance of having outdoor spaces and facilities (Nedučin et al, 2010; Sadatsafavi et al, 2015; Shukor, 2012), gardens/healing gardens (Hartig & Marcus, 2006; Marcus, 2016; Ulrich, 2002), contact with nature (Elantary et al, 2021; Trau et al, 2016), and therapeutic environments (Thaneshwari et al, 2018) in healthcare settings and their health and psychological benefits to different users including patients, staff, and visitors. However, the pandemic has especially underscored the importance of hospital outdoor landscaped spaces and access to nature for healthcare staff who spend a considerable part of their lives in healthcare environments with an increased risk of contracting COVID-19 virus from infected patients (Gregory et al, 2022; Ma et al, 2021; Vizheh et al, 2020). Certainly, given the higher exposure to health and safety-related risks during the pandemic, caring for the well-being of healthcare workers is an important issue worthy of consideration by healthcare sector stakeholders (Sethi et al, 2020; Xu et al, 2021).…”