Due to the increasing demand for healthcare and the large impact on the finance of hospital buildings in the near future, study is needed on aspects that affect health and comfort of patients and staff in hospitals. Therefore, a literature review was performed on studies related to specific hospital departments and occupant groups, in order to contribute to a better understanding of relations of comfort and health indicators and the physical environment. Differences in comfort and health of occupants were compared between departments, and between occupant groups. It was concluded that staff was generally less satisfied than patients were. Some of the indicators studied (occupant, dose and building-related indicators) varied between departments. Most studies focused on a single dose or building-related indicator, although the occupant-related indicators, such as privacy, infection rate or mortality, were related to more than one dose or building-related indicator. It was concluded that staff in particular have been understudied in relation to the variation of health and comfort aspects in different departments.

Building-related health symptoms are multifactorial, hence a comprehensive study is needed to identify associations of such symptoms with building aspects. Previous studies have identified certain building characteristics as risk factors for both dry eyes and headaches, which are among the most prevalent symptoms suffered by office workers. This study investigated associations of dry eyes and headaches with building characteristics in outpatient areas because these conditions may vary between office and hospital buildings. A survey was performed in six hospital buildings, which included administering a questionnaire to 556 outpatient workers and an inspection of the building locations, services and 127 outpatient rooms. Multivariate regression models were produced for dry eyes and headaches. Both models were adjusted for personal and work-related aspects. The prevalence of self-reported dry eyes and headaches in outpatient areas was related to building-related aspects that affect the indoor air quality and visual quality, and to room types. In general, this study is consistent with previous office studies. However, a specific finding of this study is the association of the most frequently used room types and the presence of a window to the corridor with dry eyes and headaches.