Evolution of Hospital Healing Environments in China: A Social Network Analysis

The healing environment in hospitals is of great significance in improving the medical experience of patients and the quality of medical services.In recent years, with the deepening of the people-centered healthcare concept, the design of hospital environments has gradually shifted from being function-oriented to embracing a more humanistic and diversified approach.As an innovative healthcare model, the designing, implementation and evaluation of healing environments must integrate the needs of healthcare workers, patients and families.This study used social network analysis (SNA) to analyze 1291 articles published in the China Knowledge Network (CNKI) database between 1989-2024.Keywords were extracted using the Text-Rank algorithm, and keyword weights and degree of association were calculated using TF-IDF and weighted Jaccard similarity.The network was visualized and analyzed using Gephi software.The study found that research on healing environments in Chinese hospitals has gone through four main phases of development: the exploration phase (1989)(1990)(1991)(1992)(1993)(1994)(1995), the development phase (1996)(1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005), the stabilization phase (2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013), and the extension phase (2014)(2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020)(2021)(2022)(2023)(2024).Emerging keywords from each phase are defined as research topics, which are analyzed through social networks to form six main knowledge clusters.The research theme has gradually evolved from early concerns with spatial layout to a comprehensive multi-dimensional study, including optimization of the physical environment, humanistic care and technological innovation.Research on healing environments of hospitals in China has developed a systematic theoretical framework ranging from functional orientation to humanization.Especially in the last decade, a research paradigm with local characteristics has been established by integrating digital technology and multi-disciplinary knowledge and expanding international perspectives.Future research should further strengthen inter-disciplinary integration, deepen the application of evidencebased design, and promote extensive exchanges with international research.