Influence of Hospital Outdoor Space on Physiological Electroencephalography (EEG) Feedback of Staff.

Abstract

To investigate the differences and relationships between different outdoor spaces of hospitals on the physiological electroencephalography (EEG) feedback (PEEGF) of staff. Relieving the pressure of hospital staff is essential, and several studies have revealed that even short-term exposure to outdoor space has a decompression effect. Yet, the focus is scarcely centered on the differences and influential relationships between the PEEGF from different outdoor spaces where the staff spend time, particularly in large-scale hospitals in China. EEG measurement equipment was utilized to obtain the value of β wave (vβw) that represents the stress and anxiety of staff in three different outdoor spaces: open, traffic, and rest. On the basis of EEG data, correlation analysis was conducted in accordance with the proportion of space elements. The proportion of natural elements, such as landscape (r = -.800** p=.005) and waterscape (r = -.782* p=.013), were negatively correlated with the vβw produced by staff, while the proportion of hard paving was positive (r = .817** p=.004) with more vβw produced by staff. In other words, the percentage of landscape and waterscape can reduce stress, while hard paving has the opposite effect. Further, there was a difference in the amount of vβw generated between nurses and administrators in the open space at the entrance of the main building (p = .043). The present study revealed the influence of different outdoor space elements of the hospital on the physiological feedback of staff, demonstrated the practical necessity of evidence-based design, and proposed relevant optimization suggestions.