Abstract
This study was conducted to identify the effect of daylighting in hospitals on hospitalization time of patients and patients' outcomes in hospitals. Two major variations include orientation of hospital wards and the hospitalization times of various kinds of patients. Patients' data were obtained from two hospitals located in Seoul, Korea. The hospital buildings have north-facing and north-facing wards. The patients were classified according to the types of diseases and the orientation of the patient rooms. Then, statistical T-tests were applied in order to verify if natural light might shorter the hospitalization time of patients. The study also identified the types of diseases that were more responsive to the quantity of natural light in patient rooms. This information may be used as a basis for the development of guidelines for patient rooms in hospitals to achieve more effective healing environments. Likewise, the results may be applied to medical treatment buildings, recreational centers and hospital as well.