View through a window may influence recovery from surgery.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Retrospective non-randomized matched cohort study.
PubMed 6143402 · doi:10.1126/science.6143402
What was done
Medical records from 1972 to 1981 at a suburban Pennsylvania hospital were analyzed for patients recovering from cholecystectomy. Researchers compared recovery outcomes between 23 surgical patients assigned to rooms with window views of a natural setting and 23 matched patients in similar rooms facing a brick building wall.
What was found
Patients assigned to rooms with a view of a natural scene experienced shorter postoperative hospital stays, received fewer negative evaluative comments in nursing notes, and consumed fewer potent analgesics compared to the 23 matched patients with brick wall views. The abstract does not provide exact numerical values, effect sizes, or statistical metrics.
Why it matters
This study provided early observational evidence suggesting that passive visual access to natural environments during postoperative care may support physical recovery and reduce analgesic use.
Limits
The sample size was small (23 matched pairs), conducted at a single hospital over a nine-year retrospective period, and lacked prospective randomized room allocation. The abstract does not report specific quantitative differences, confidence intervals, or statistical test results, and potential unmeasured confounders in room assignment or nursing documentation were not detailed.
Cited by
- supports Hospitalized patients with plants in their rooms or windows with views of natural light and nature recover faster from illness and surgery.