Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual framework that categorises the features and characteristics of the built environment that impact on health outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach - An extensive literature review was carried out. A total of 1,163 abstracts were assessed, leading to 92 papers being reviewed.
Findings - There is a considerable amount of evidence linking healthcare environments to patients' health outcomes, despite the lack of clarity in relation to cause-effect relationships.
Originality/value - The paper proposes a theoretical framework linking different built environment characteristics to health outcomes. This framework provides a structure to group causal effects according to their relation with design features, materials and ambient properties, art and aesthetic aspects and use of the built environment.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 138-151 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Facilities |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue number | 3-4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 27 Feb 2009 |
| Externally published | Yes |