Take Flowers or a Plant when Visiting a Hospital Patient

In the olden days (i.e. when I was young) hospital rooms were always bedecked with flowers, brought by the patient’s visitors. This is less frequent, today, maybe because of the extra work it makes for the hospital staff. However, a bunch o fflowers or a flowering plant can make a significant difference to a patient’s recovery after abdominal surgery, according to a report in the online journal HortTechnology.

Kansas State University researchers conducted a clinical trial with 90 post-surgical appendectomy patients. They were randomly allocated to hospital rooms with or without flowers. The length of hospital stay, postoperative pain control meds, pain intensity ratings, vital signs, fatigue, anxiety and distress scores were analyzed.

The patients with plants in their rooms took significantly less pain medications, had lower blood pressure and heart rates, lower pain scores, and lower scores for anxiety and fatigue. When asked about the most positive aspect of their hospital rooms, 93% of those with plants said these were the most positive features, whereas among subjects without plants 91% said that watching TV was the best aspect.

This is another example of beneficial effects of nature on health. (A previous post – on 1/10/09 - concerned walking in the park rather than round the block.) I guess future reports will describe the benefits of contact with plants on manufacturing or office output . . .