PATIENT EXPERIENCE WITH HOSPITAL CARE-COMPARISON OF A SAMPLE OF GREEN HOS PITALS AND NON-GREEN HOSPITALS

Although the sustainability movement in the healthcare sector was initiated in response to ecological concerns,green hospitals are expected to outperform traditional hospitals on a variety of levels.The impacts of environmental quality on patients and caregivers are demonstrated in numerous studies.However,there is still a lack of evidence on the benefits of green hospitals with respect to different dimensions of patients’experiences.In this study,data from the public Hospital Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Survey is used to compare the performance of green hospitals with the average performance of traditional hospitals.This study included 19 green hospitals and found that patients hospitalized in green facilities reported overall higher ratings than those in traditional hospitals when compared to the average performance of traditional hospitals of similar sizes and locations.Additionally,patients in green hospitals were more likely to recommend the hospital to their friends and family.However,relationships between specific green building features and patient experiences were not identified in this study.

LEED CERTIFICATION AND PATIENT WELLBEING IN GREEN HEALTHCARE FACILITIES

Beyond resource efficiencies,green buildings aim to create healthy indoor environments for building occupants.In terms of improving occupant well-being,a unique case emerges for healthcare facilities,whose patients may be at a vulnerable state.In the U.S.,the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design(LEED)rating system has become the most widely recognized certification system for green buildings,including green healthcare facilities and buildings.Hospitals with high total scores in the LEED rating system are green buildings but may not necessarily be the optimal green healthcare environment from a patient’s wellbeing perspective.Certified healthcare facilities were analyzed in terms of their credit valuation to assess whether healthcare facilities prioritize specific criteria that influence patient wellbeing and recovery time.Analysis of results indicate hospitals may be valuing the level of certification more than those credits that were deemed relevant for patient wellbeing and rate of recovery,either due to lack of information or due to economic constraints.To consolidate the previous results and to compare the performance of LEED certified green hospitals to the national average,the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems(HCAHPS)survey was analyzed for patients’perspectives on the healthcare facility.Results indicate higher satisfaction in green hospitals’overall patient care performance as well as a greater tendency to recommend green hospitals to others compared to the national average.No statistical significance was found for hospital cleanliness and quietness between green hospitals and the national average.