Salutogenic Design in Healthcare Facilities: Factors and Potential Applications

Introduction. The World Health Organization (WHO) highlights the importance of environmental factors in shaping human health. In the context of healthcare organizations, salutogenic design presents a promis­ing approach to enhancing patient-centeredness through environmental modification, focusing on creating conditions that reduce stress and promote well-being. Despite the decades-long evolution of the salutogenic design concept, its practical application is frequently constrained by the fragmented implementation of isolat­ed elements.

Objective. To systematically analyze and synthesize global experience in the field of salutogenic design within healthcare facilities in order to structure the foundational aspects of the concept as it has evolved over recent decades.

Materials and methods. A non-systematic literature review was conducted using following databases: PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library for the period from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2024.

Results. Elements of salutogenic design in healthcare facilities, such as well-chosen color schemes, natural light and sufficient lighting, biophilic design (nature elements, natural textures), effective space organization, art, and noise reduction, contribute to improved patients’ emotional state and clinical indicators.

Conclusions. The design of healthcare facilities is an important factor in the quality and safety of care. However, the implementation of modern concepts of patient-centered spaces, such as salutogenic design, is limited due to the lack of unified methodological approaches. The literature review results confirm that healthcare facilities apply salutogenic design factors in an isolated and/or limited manner. To achieve the op­timal positive effect of salutogenic design, unified standards based on research need to be developed, which will improve the environment for health care delivery and enhance patient satisfaction.

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