En 2018, the Oslo University Hospital, the largest in Norway, opened its first unit under the concept Friluftssykehuset, Iliterally “hospital to be in nature”, or open-air hospital. Iit is a wooden pavilion, located a hundred meters from the entrance to the hospital, accessible on foot, lost in the countryside.
IIt is open 23 hours a day, to patients who are well enough good for going out, for that they can both leave the hospitall, explains to us Maren Ostvold Lindheim, hospital psychologist in charge of children and adolescents withs serious chronic diseases, but also to receive their family or loved ones who visit them. » The concept of the “open-air hospital” is therefore, basically, the creation of a shelter in nature, ” to have a place Or relax, take a break, and feel, for a time, like before “, continues the therapist.
Dsince 2010, Maren Ostvold Lindheim used to go for walks with hospitalized children in the forest adjoining the hospital. ” NOTWe were then able to see the positive effects this has on the way they cope with the disease, especially for children and adolescents, who are used to playing actively normally outdoors. »
A sheltered space in nature
It was during one of these “excursions”, as she says, in the forest with her little patients, that a decisive encounter took place. ” Harvard Hernes- it is important for me that his name is mentioned because he contributed personally to the genesis of the proIAnd -, East A father of which the small daughter, Lina, had entered long-term treatment at the hospital, For the treatment of a cancer. In these cases, you don’t know what will happen or how long it will last… He joined us and he has Understood, in addition to the benefits of a walk in the open air for children who live confined, worried, in the vacuum of the hospital, the importance of having a private space, where life is good. »
Harvard and Maren then embark on the project of building this space sheltered in nature. “Because the climate is very harsh in Norwayit is often cold and rainy, which makes going out difficult for people vulnerable “says Maren Lindheim.
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The foundation Friluftssykehuset was born, and it is the architectural firm Snøhetta (to whom we owe in particular the headquarters of the newspaper The world), Who working on the realization of the pavilion. ” That looks like This that a child could have built, you know, a hut in a tree, all wood, or something like that. All materials are natural and the finish is not too fine. It’s a construction that was designed to be very simple,” explains the psychologist. “Onot so really feels well qwhen we enter this piece. » Inside, all in raw wood planks, a large bay window overlooks the woods, where a stream flows. A roof window allows you to observe the stars. “There are wooden benches, pretty cushions, it’s a simple and warm space, really welcoming. »
THE trees the key to this device? ” No, I don’t think so, replies Maren. Lindheim. There city of Oslo has protected itself from urban deforestation by retaining its surrounding forest, which protects and surrounds the city. It is an opportunity that we have. There proximity to the nature is a chance for the inhabitants of the North, It is generally beneficial, both psychologically and physiologically. But I think thatue the concept of “Friluftssykehuset” is holding any further to having developed a special place, a kind of sanctuary connected to the hospital, and that he can be done anywhere. VSOh, maybe on the roof of the hospitalit can be inside, it can be anywhere Or. The concept is the creation of a special space. »
A play area
What the Oslo healthcare team discovered was indeed less the “effect of nature”, which we know can “reduce stress Or the Depression “than the creation of a “new therapeutic” place.
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The principle of “cabin” installed in the woods is a common second home in all Nordic countries. All the children have good family memories there. The open-air hospital allows ” a stronger therapeutic alliance between patient and caregiver”, and an “easier” access to the child. ” So it’s also a bit of a tool for me, when I’m in the hospital and I have to explain a difficult procedure that a child has to undergo, and it’s difficult to make this child really make me trust. »
A scientific article published in the monthly The Journal of the Norwegian Association of Psychologists reports the work carried out by a team of independent researchers. Under the title “The therapy room is not a neutral room”, he summarizes a comparative study carried out between THE Friluftssykehuset as a therapeutic place and the traditional hospital. The positive effects noted concern the work of establishing a relationship and alliance with the patient, but also the reduction of stress and the feeling of insecurity that can be felt by children in a hospital environment.
Finally, more surprisingly, we learn that the Friluftssykehuset“stimulates creativity and positive associations”. How ? The study, which recognizes that the field which combines clinical and environmental psychology remains understudied, based on the concept of ” affordability », formulated in 1986 by the American psychologist Gibson. This theory underlines the potentialities offered by the non-fixed environment of an open-air pavilion. “The ambiguity found in the natural environment” favors “playing with reality, and therefore creativity”. A metaphorical environment “can help the patient enter a state of focused attention, where it is easier to access their own resources and solutions,” the article concludes. The experience Friluftssykehuset is gaining ground: several pavilions will be set up in Norway. And other countries are starting to look at this small unit with a big profit. maren Ostvold Lindheim is invited this summer to visit Perth Children’s Hospital in Australia. Maybe a Friluftssykehuset To be born.