The aesthetic dimension in hospitals—An investigation into strategic plans

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2006.04.011Get rights and content

Abstract

Background and rationale

The underlying assumption was that the aesthetics of the hospital surroundings are often neglected.

Aims

This article is the first part of a larger study into the aesthetics of general hospitals. The aim of the study is to throw light on the influence of aesthetics on the health and well-being of patients and the professional personnel, and to examine how aesthetic considerations are dealt with. We present a survey of how the aesthetic dimension is planned and it is considered important in the strategic plans of Norwegian general hospitals.

Methods

Data were sampled by analyzing the strategic plans of somatic hospitals. Sixty-four of 86 hospitals responded (74%). Concepts were categorized in a matrix of 11 main categories, each with subcategories. The method was quantitative, in that the analyzed material was amenable to counting.

Results

Very few concrete guidelines or directions for the aesthetic dimension have been included in written documents. This indicates that the aesthetic area is a neglected field in the directions for the daily management of hospitals.

Conclusions

The research available today on the contribution of environmental aesthetics to health, rehabilitation, and well-being suggests that it is important to have concrete guidelines recorded in strategic plans. This field concerns the maintenance of high quality in the caring professions.

Section snippets

What is already known about the topic?

  • Aesthetics contributes to health and wellness.

  • The aesthetic dimension is a need for the human being.

What this paper adds

  • There are few concrete guidelines concerning aesthetics in somatic hospital strategy plans.

  • High quality in nursing care includes the aesthetic dimension.

Data sampling

Hospitals were requested to supply their strategic plans concerning the aesthetic domain for the past 2 years. A second request was sent to those who did not respond. In the request letter, the project was described and a short summary of the investigation was given.

Sixty-four of 86 hospitals (74%) answered, providing information and copies of their strategic plans. Two hospitals submitted information by telephone and another two hospitals supplied information by letter, with no strategic plan

Results

The strategic plans were analyzed to determine whether and in what way aesthetics were addressed.

This graphic Fig. 1 illustrates the results of the analysis. Each column represents the total findings for the main categories (including subcategories) in the documents, according to their occurrences in the strategic plans.

In presenting the results, important factors will be indicated in relation to each category.

Category 1: Harmony. Subcategories are properness considered as tidiness, balance,

Discussion

By analyzing the received material, we have drawn the conclusion that very few guidelines concerning the aesthetics of hospital surroundings are finding their way into today's strategic plans. Even though aesthetics are considered important, there are very few directions given. To ensure that this area receives attention, it is necessary to have clear and concise guidelines in strategic plans, on what to do and how to do it.

To illustrate how the ideas were used in the documents, a few examples

Conclusion

The intention of this research was to determine the degree to which the aesthetic dimension is addressed in the strategic plans of Norwegian general hospitals. The aim was to find which directions and decrees the professional caring personnel and the daily management has, accordingly how to attend to the aesthetic surroundings.

We concluded that references to the 11 categories, into which the aesthetic dimension was divided to analyze the strategic plans, were almost absent from the strategic

Acknowledgement

Thanks to Oslo University College, Faculty of Nursing, for financing this research.

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