Environmental Evaluation of Hospital Waiting Rooms: Relationships of Psychoenvironmental Variables

According to some theories (Canter and Canter, 1979), physical environment can play a decisive role in the effective functioning of hospitals, since it can help promote patient recuperation and staff activity and offer a comfortable, secure, and well-attended stay for users. In order for environmental characteristics to function for and not against therapeutic work, it is necessary to pay attention not only to architectural design but also to psychological concepts, which can define the difference between a positive and a negative environment. In this sense, Environmental Psychology has generated substantial information to improve the design of hospitals, supported by systematic findings, which analyze and evaluate the interaction of human relationships between environment and behavior.