Multisensory nature-based Recharge Rooms' effect on healthcare workers in a multicenter study

Area of Science:

• Healthcare worker wellbeing
• Environmental psychology
• Occupational health

Background:

• Healthcare workers experience high stress levels, impacting performance and wellbeing.
• Previous studies indicated multisensory naturalistic "Recharge Rooms" improved self-reported stress.
• This study expanded to a multi-site evaluation of Recharge Rooms in hospitals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between Recharge Rooms and self-reported stress, alertness, and mood in healthcare workers.
• To assess the effectiveness of immersive, naturalistic environments in a multi-center hospital setting.
• To evaluate employee wellness interventions aimed at reducing occupational stress.

Main Methods:

• Underutilized hospital spaces were converted into "Recharge Rooms" featuring nature projections, plants, aromatherapy, soft lighting, and nature sounds.
• Healthcare staff had 24/7 access to these rooms.
• Self-reported stress, hopefulness, and alertness were measured pre- and post-session using a 0-100 scale.

Main Results:

• A 59.1% reduction in average self-reported stress scores was observed (63.2 to 25.8, p < 0.0001).
• Average self-reported hopefulness increased by 29.6% (p < 0.0001).
• Average self-reported alertness increased by 35.1% (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions:

• Recharge Rooms were well-received and linked to immediate, self-reported decreases in perceived stress.
• The positive impact on stress, mood, and alertness suggests a promising employee wellness intervention.
• Further controlled trials are needed to confirm findings and explore long-term physiological effects.