Nature Contacts: Employee Wellness in Healthcare

Abstract

Objective: This study was designed to ascertain the amount of outdoor, indoor, and indirect nature contact exposures hospital employees have in a workweek.

Background: Hospital employees have been found particularly vulnerable to work-related stress. Increasing the nature contact exposure for hospital employees can reduce perceived stress; stress-related health behaviors; and stress-related health outcomes from outdoor, indoor, and indirect exposures to nature.

Methods: Staff on the fourth floor postsurgical unit of a large hospital (N = 42) were ask to participate in an employee questionnaire "nature contact questionnaire". This 16-item nature environment questionnaire measures the amount and types of nature contact exposures employees have during a workweek.

Results: Majority of employees reported few, if any, nature contact exposures, specifically in the area of outdoor nature contacts with limited indoor and indirect contacts. These results indicated that employees on the fourth floor postsurgical floor have limited ability to reduce stress through nature contact exposures which could impact their perceived levels of work stress and stress-related behaviors and health outcomes.

Conclusions: Nature contact exposures are both a relatively easy and an inexpensive way to improve employee stress. These findings indicate limitations to employees' exposure to nature contacts. Healthcare environments would benefit from a concerted effort to provide increased outdoor, indoor, and indirect nature contact exposures for employees.

Keywords: hospital wellness; nature; nature contact questionnaire; qualitative study; stress.