This article investigates the staff outcomes that are influenced by physical environment features in a healthcare facility. Over the past few decades, research on the physical environment and its effects on hospital staff has advanced steadily. Focusing on the physical environment has become a research area with great potential because it is crucial to provide a favorable work environment for health professionals, which directly impacts the quality of care. A systematic literature review was conducted to identify research articles from two scientific databases and a healthcare journal. Articles that fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria for relevant articles were included in this review. Relevant data were derived from the final shortlisted articles. The features identified in the articles were divided into three dimensions of the physical environment. The results demonstrate different outcomes for staff. This review shows the need to develop a comprehensive study involving the most important features of the three dimensions of the physical setting and its effects on staff. This study contributes invaluable insights for hospital administrators, architects, and designers by informing them about the critical factors shaping the healthcare workplace environment.

This research examines the impact of government policy initiatives, community engagement programs, and age-friendly urban design policies on the built environment, with a specific focus on the walkability of older adults. The walkability of older adults in the built environment is essential because it promotes physical activity, social connectedness, and independence, thereby enhancing the overall quality of life and supporting healthy aging. This study employs a quantitative approach and cross-sectional design with convenience sampling in Udupi district, one of the urbanizing districts in India. The sample includes 333 older adults from diverse sociodemographic backgrounds who actively use the built environment. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses. The findings indicate that community engagement programs are the strongest enabler of safety and security perceptions related to walkability. Safety and security positively correlate with increased physical activity level, increased socialization level, and improved quality of life in older adults. Security also mediates the relationship between community engagement programs and all three outcomes associated with walkability. It highlights priority urban design features such as strategic lighting, sheltered walkways, traffic calming measures, barrier-free access, rest areas, and inclusive design elements as critical components of adaptive urban spaces that promote safety, accessibility, and social inclusion for older adults.

The exponential growth of the global population and rising life expectancy have placed increasing pressure on healthcare systems to deliver efficient, high-quality, and cost-effective services. In India, private hospitals play a crucial role in meeting these demands. However, they are increasingly challenged by high employee attrition rates, often linked to dissatisfaction with the physical work environment. Improving staff satisfaction has therefore become essential for enhancing organizational performance and retaining skilled personnel. This study aims to assess the impact of the physical environment on employee satisfaction in private Indian hospitals. A mixed-methods research approach was adopted. The qualitative phase involved a review of secondary data to conceptualize the research framework and identify key variables related to architectural, interior, and ambient design features. The quantitative phase involved survey-based data collection from employees across various private hospitals. For analysis, both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to explore relationships between variables. The results reveal statistically significant relationships between physical-environment features—specifically architectural layout, interior design elements, and ambient conditions—and employees’ attitudes. These attitudes were found to significantly influence overall workplace satisfaction. Furthermore, this study confirmed a strong link between the physical environment and employee satisfaction. These findings offer actionable insights for hospital administrators to improve the design of workspaces. Enhancing physical environments can elevate employee satisfaction, reduce attrition, and ultimately contribute to improved hospital performance. By empirically establishing the link between physical-environment features and staff satisfaction, this study provides a foundation for evidence-based design strategies in healthcare settings.

The influence of ambient features on staff satisfaction in a healthcare environment is gaining recognition as an essential component of overall well-being. While traditional healthcare design is largely focused on patient care, there is a growing emphasis on creating environments that support staff satisfaction. Although there is extensive research on the relationship between ambient conditions and outcomes in various healthcare settings, it is unclear whether these results are consistent across diverse settings. As a result, this study aims to holistically explore the relationships and interdependencies between ambient features and staff satisfaction in a healthcare setting, prioritizing the factors that most influence satisfaction. The literature review identified a wide range of ambient features that impact healthcare environment staff, including natural light, artificial light, smell, acoustics, temperature, humidity, air quality, and music. A mixed-method design was conducted, incorporating a questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews administered across seven private hospitals. Quantitative data were gathered through surveys, whereas qualitative insights were obtained through semi-structured interviews. Statistical techniques such as ANOVA, correlation, and regression were used to examine the relationships between demographic factors and satisfaction. The results ranked the satisfaction factors as follows: smell, air quality, temperature, natural light, humidity, artificial lighting, music and acoustics. As a result, the study identifies ambient features that have a significant impact on staff and strongly recommends implementing interventions to increase satisfaction among healthcare professionals. Healthcare administrators and policymakers can utilize these findings to enhance ambient conditions in healthcare facilities, promoting high-quality treatment while improving satisfaction.

Air quality is a critical determinant of human health and well-being, with poor air quality linked to a range of adverse health outcomes. Within university campuses, where large populations share indoor and outdoor spaces, managing air quality is essential not only for health protection but also for advancing institutional sustainability goals. Understanding the social and psychological factors that shape students’ environmental behaviours is therefore vital for designing effective interventions. This study aimed to investigate university students’ intentions to address air quality concerns using the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Two hypotheses, aligning with the TPB’s theoretical structure, were tested to explore the relationships between attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, and behavioural intentions. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire measuring these constructs, and the relationships were analysed using statistical techniques to assess both the strength and the significance of each predictor. The findings show that perceived behavioural control and attitudes, including efforts to reduce air pollution and participate in campus-based sustainability programmes, are the strongest predictors of students’ pro-environmental behaviours. Subjective norms, while slightly less influential, still had a statistically significant positive effect. The findings highlight the importance of enhancing students’ awareness of how educational institutions can encourage environmental responsibility and support broader social sustainability goals. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on campus sustainability by offering evidence-based insights that can guide university policy, environmental design strategies, and educational initiatives aimed at promoting environmental responsibility and contributing to broader social sustainability objectives.