Current status of prohibition and reluctance pertaining to the use of indoor plants at hospitals in Chiba Prefecture, Japan

Although previous studies have suggested that plants have positive effects on patients, they are increasingly being prohibited in hospitals in Japan.
The aim of this study was to reveal the current situation and reason for the prohibition and reluctance to install indoor plants in hospitals.
We investigated both cut flowers (brought in by visitors) and set plants (cut flowers and potted plants placed by landscapers, staff, or volunteers). We conducted a questionnaire survey of 288 hospitals in Chiba Prefecture, Japan.
We examined the following five categories: 1) prohibition and installation of plants; 2) locations where plants are prohibited or installed; 3) the reason for prohibiting or not installing plants; 4) problems caused by permitting or installing plants; and 5) requests for bringing in or installing plants.
Our findings indicated that 36% of the studied hospitals prohibited bringing in cut flowers, and 22% did not install set plants.
Although 90% of respondents answered that the reason for prohibiting or not installing plants was to prevent infection, no cases of infection caused by permitting or installing plants were reported.
We also found that 59% of hospitals permitted cut flowers and 76% installed set plants to improve the mood of patients and staff.
Our study addressed the importance of making the hospital environment more comfortable by utilizing the positive effects of plants to improve the satisfaction of patients and staff.

VIII International Conference on Landscape and Urban Horticulture

S. Tanaka, S. Yamaguchi, A. Nagase

hospital plant environments, people-plant interaction, human well-being, healthcare environment, horticultural therapy, biophilic design

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2022.1345.4