Science Cooperative | Healing Gardens: The green therapy that is transforming Chilean hospitals

A short walk, the simple act of sitting under a tree, or contemplating the sky. Everyday actions that, when performed in a “healing garden” within a hospital, demonstrate a measurable impact. A study conducted between 2023 and 2025 by the Cosmos Foundation and Alberto Hurtado University evaluated the effects of eight of these gardens in six public hospitals across the country, including emblematic centers such as San Borja, Salvador, and Barros Luco.

The results, obtained from 183 participants (127 officials and 56 patients), confirm that the transition of intra-hospital spaces towards these green oases generates notable improvements in psychological, emotional and physiological well-being.

“This evidence opens a concrete opportunity to integrate environmental health into hospital care strategies,” emphasizes Rodrigo Quiroz, the study’s lead researcher and academic at Alberto Hurtado University.

Impact on well-being

The study measured various parameters at three time points: before visiting the garden (T1), immediately after a 15-minute stay in it (T2), and upon returning to usual activities within the hospital (T3). Positive and negative emotion scales (PANAS), levels of psychological restoration (EPRA-R), and physiological variables such as heart rate were analyzed.

Regarding emotions, the PANAS scale revealed a significant increase in 8 out of 10 positive affect items—such as “interested,” “enthusiastic,” “optimistic,” and “alert”—in both patients and staff after exposure to the garden. These emotions remained elevated even after returning indoors.

At the same time, negative emotions, such as “scared”, “nervous” or “irritable”, decreased in the garden, although they tended to rise again upon re-entering enclosed spaces, confirming the direct and restorative effect of the natural environment.

At a physiological level, a significant decrease in heart rate was observed in both groups of participants during their time in the garden. On average, heart rate dropped from 82.42 beats per minute (bpm) in T1 to 76.47 bpm in T2. This reduction, consistent with the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system, is an indicator of decreased stress and the promotion of rest.

Although the heart rate increased slightly upon returning to the indoors (T3), it remained below the initial value (81.75 bpm), suggesting a residual benefit.

The future of public health

The Environmental Restoration Scale (EPRA-R) assessed factors such as “remoteness,” “fascination,” “extent,” and “compatibility” of the environment. All of these factors showed increases after exposure to the garden, validating the hypothesis that nature facilitates disconnection, mindfulness, and emotional adaptation. This consistent pattern of improvement in T2 and decrease in T3 underscores the restorative power of contact with natural environments.

Since 2014, Fundación Cosmos has created 19 healing gardens in hospitals and health residences in Chile, many of them integrated into mental health units.

“This study confirms with clear evidence that healing gardens are an effective tool to support physical and emotional healing. We project that their incorporation should become a public policy that integrates nature as a stable component of hospital infrastructure in Chile,” highlights Diego Urrejola, executive director of Fundación Cosmos.

The study suggests that the use of these spaces should be expanded beyond contemplation, integrating them into therapeutic programs, rehabilitation and clinical interventions, consolidating their role as a complementary and vital tool for health in Chile.

Read the article on Cooperativa Ciencia