By Healthcare Facilities Today

Indoor healing or therapeutic gardens are now blooming in healthcare settings across the country, according to an article on the Healthcare Construction + Operations website. 

Many healthcare providers are now dedicating interiors to living oases — and are seeing the benefits.

Roger Ulrich, an environmental psychologist at Texas A&M University, found that patients who enjoyed a view of nature typically required less pain medication, experienced fewer complications and healed a full day faster than their counterparts who faced brick walls, the article said.

These living green spaces can be integrated into nearly any hospital or clinical setting, according to the article. Many facilities concentrate healing gardens in atriums or entryways; however seating areas, collaborative spaces and corridors can also serve as venues for containerized installations. 

Living installations are also a safe option for sterile environments. Interior garden designers often use a sub-irrigation system and sterilized growing media as opposed to traditional soil, the article said. This prevents water from being exposed to air. Meanwhile, the plants add to the overall air quality of the space by creating new oxygen rather than simply filtering it.

Read the article.