Design guidelines for healing gardens in the general hospital

Introduction: Despite being recognized as a cost-effective method to enhance physical and mental health, Healing Gardens remain insufficiently popularized in outdoor spaces of hospitals. This paper aims to introduce a new perspective and offer guidelines for their implementation within general hospitals. Methods: A methodology is proposed for formulating hospital-specific guidelines, encompassing the extraction of successful Healing Garden features from case studies, definition of key components grounded in theoretical frameworks, validation of essential features through user questionnaires, and comprehensive site analyses. Results: The methodology was applied in a case study at Zhongnan Hospital in Wuhan. This research presents a novel perspective and robust methodology for implementing Healing Gardens in general hospital settings, potentially improving physical and mental health in a cost-efficient manner. Discussion: This work aims to encourage the adoption of Healing Gardens as preventive medical tools in more healthcare settings. By providing a comprehensive methodology and a case study illustration, this research endeavors to stimulate broader acceptance and utilization of Healing Gardens in healthcare environments.