Percepção ambiental sobre os espaços naturais de um hospital de Natal: affordances de restauração

Abstract

The therapeutic effects of natural landscapes have been recognized by different cultures for millennia, and many studies have highlighted the health benefits of being in touch with nature. It reduces stress and mental fatigue, distracts, promotes positive thoughts and feelings, as it mitigates deleterious effects of modern life and, consequently, associated negative emotions. Other studies have shown that green areas in healthcare facilities promoted patient recovery as such spaces reduced stress, anxiety and depression, moreover decreased the need for pain killers. Contradicting scientific findings, hospitals, while focusing on technology and efficiency, offer scarce green areas to their users. These institutions have become cold environments, not hospitable to either its patients or its staff. Facing this contradiction, the present master’s thesis aims to investigate how green spaces are perceived by users of a hospital in Natal. I adopted a multi-method approach for this study, combining place-centered behavioral mapping and semi-structured interviews. Based on the mapping, I composed the interview script and chose potential candidates. I interviewed 11 users, aging 18 or more, among employees, patients and caregivers, at the Advanced Oncology Center, a facility of the League against cancer of Rio Grande do Norte state. The findings confirmed the literature ones: the green spaces of such facility are restorative environments to the individuals using them. This knowledge can be an invaluable contribution to both the management and the expansion project of the institution.