Building a satisfactory indoor environment for healthcare facility occupants: A literature review

• Published in: Building and environment 2023-01, Vol.228, p.109861, Article 109861
• Main Authors: Shen, Xiumei, Zhang, Hong, Li, Ying, Qu, Kaichen, Zhao, Liang, Kong, Guangyan, Jia, Wenzhao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Healthcare facilities; Indoor environmental quality (IEQ); Occupants; Patients with families; Satisfaction; Staff
• ISSN: 0360-1323; 1873-684X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.109861

The satisfaction of healthcare facilities' occupants is a crucial measure of healthcare quality and a requirement for the clinical and financial success of healthcare organizations. From the perspective of indoor environmental quality, this review investigates methods to improve occupants’ satisfaction. We searched 1102 papers from three databases: PubMed, Web of Science, and SCOPUS (latest supplementary search on August 30, 2022) and screened 98 papers (April 2001–July 2022) relating to the research questions for review and in-depth discussion. The literature was categorized according to four themes: visual environment, acoustic environment, thermal environment, and indoor air quality (IAQ). The impact of each theme's indoor environment factors on occupants' satisfaction is studied, as well as the interventions that can be implemented to increase occupants' satisfaction. The results reveal that (1) patients and nurses are the two groups that have received the greatest focus in current research on satisfaction; and the patient room is the space that has attracted the most attention. (2) patient and family satisfaction converge with staff satisfaction in all categories, despite some discordance in certain aspects. (3) several low-cost indoor environmental interventions have been found to be helpful in enhancing satisfaction. (4) appropriate patient control over the environment is crucial for improving patient satisfaction. This review proposes a conceptual framework that can assist healthcare facility administrators and designers in improving the indoor environmental quality of their facilities, hence increasing occupants' satisfaction. In addition, this study identifies future directions for research on this subject. •Reviewed various factors of the indoor environment that affect occupants' satisfaction in healthcare facilities.•Effective interventions to improve occupants' satisfaction are summarized.•A conceptual framework for building a satisfactory indoor environment in healthcare facilities is presented.•Some new equipment and methods are needed to conduct more precise quantitative studies.