Environmental Needs, Barriers, and Facilitators for Optimal Healing in the Postoperative Process: A Qualitative Study of Patients' Lived Experiences and Perceptions.

The hospital environment often does not meet patients' needs. Needs fulfillment can be improved by practical adjustments to the physical and interpersonal environment and considering patient's individual preferences and changing needs during recovery. Patient narratives, pictures, and drawings are valuable sources for hospital managers in their efforts to design evidence-based environments that anticipate to patient-specific needs for achieving early recovery.