Entrén vid Universitetssjukhuset i Lund : hälsosjukhuset med frånvaro av trivsamhet

Abstract: Scientific research shows that humans regain their strength when they are spending time in nature. Ulrich, Kaplan & Kaplan, among others, has shown in their research that nature can reduce stress and decrease the after effects of stress. Lund University Hospital, USiL, is a big working place and has a large number of patients. To be a patient often means that you lose control of your daily life which could cause stress. For the personnel high workload can be a stress factor. With access to a restorative environment, even for just a brief period of time, stress reducing effects can be gained. The outdoor environment at the hospital main entrance is functional but restorative environment is lacking. The purpose of this study was to find out what the users of the main entrance thought about the area, if there was something they wanted to change and if there were any difference in perception of the area between user groups. The method used was a questionnaire in two parts, one part was a semantic environment description, SMB (Küller, 1991), where the area was evaluated using 36 adjectives which were divided into 8 factors, which in their turn were compared and individually evaluated. The other part was open questions where the participants could tell what they thought about the area and give suggestion of what the area was missing. The participants were divided into two groups, patient / relative and personnel, with 20 people in each group. Own observations of the area were also made to get better understanding and context. The result was that the SMB method didn't show any difference between user groups, except from the originality factor. The open questions showed that the users wanted to change the area but there was a large drop off rate on some questions. The conclusion is that the experience of the area around the main entrance is not pleasant and both the patient / relative group and the personnel group agree that something has to be done with the area. The time is right to let the "white" sector meet with the "green".