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More than $16 billion was spent on healthcare facility construction in the United States in 1996, yet the effect of these built environments on patients is still relatively unknown and unstudied. Researchers, sponsored by The Center for Health Design, set out in 1995 to determine if a patient's recovery can be improved by the design elements in a healthcare environment.
Despite centuries of anecdotal evidence, initial research by the team has uncovered few scientific studies to support the theory that environment can hasten recovery. Of 38,119 articles reviewed in medical and design literature, only 48 published in the last 30 years contained relevant data.
However, Dr. Haya R Rubin and Amanda J. Owens, J.D. of the Program for Medical Technology and Practice Assessment of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore did...