Optimal healing environments

There is universal agreement that a healing environment is desirable for patients and for providers. What constitutes a healing environment is open to discussion and depends on individual perspectives. The Samueli Institute coined the term Optimal Healing Environment (OHE) in 2004 to describe a healthcare system that is designed to stimulate and support the inherent healing capacity of patients, families, and their care providers. An OHE consists of people in relationships, their health-creating behaviors, and the surrounding physical environment.1 The OHE framework (Figure) is a conceptual framework applicable to health professionals; patients, their families, and significant others; healthcare organizations; and healthcare systems. As an organizing framework, the 8 concepts contained in the 4 environments of the OHE framework provide direction to patients, families, care providers, and organizations to optimize the potential for healing. Each of the environments and constructs of the OHE framework work synergistically to support and stimulate health creation and healing (a concept known as salutogenesis).