Sunny hospital rooms expedite recovery from severe and refractory depressions.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Non-randomized comparative cohort study
PubMed 8882914 · doi:10.1016/0165-0327(96)00040-7
What was done
In a psychiatric inpatient unit where approximately half of the rooms were bright and sunny and the rest were not, researchers compared the lengths of stay between depressed patients in sunny rooms and those in dull rooms.
What was found
Patients in sunny rooms had an average length of stay of 16.9 days compared to 19.5 days for those in dull rooms, representing a statistically significant difference of 2.6 days (15% reduction; P < 0.05).
Why it matters
The findings suggest that ambient natural sunlight in hospital rooms may serve as an adjunct therapeutic factor, potentially shortening recovery times for depressed inpatients.
Limits
The abstract does not state the total sample size (n), baseline depression severity, patient age, or specific psychiatric diagnoses. Room assignment was observational and non-randomized. Potential confounders such as season of admission, concurrent medications, and clinical symptom change scores were not reported.
Cited by
- supports Published data demonstrate that patient recovery from surgery and illness in hospitals is significantly improved when the patient is positioned next to a window with natural light.