Art and Nature: Enhancing Well-Being and Cognitive Recovery Healthcare Environments Through Immersive Nature-Inspired Interventions in Malaysia

Over the years, healthcare environments have evolved to improve patient health by implementing non-invasive methods that can alleviate stress, anxiety, and cognitive fatigue, all of which have a significant impact on patients’ outcomes. As hospitals tend to have a sterile and impersonal environment, it is critical to explore alternative therapeutic tools. This conceptual paper explores the potential of immersive media art as a therapeutic intervention in the healthcare environment to promote well-being and enhance patient outcomes through immersive nature-inspired experiences. The paper draws qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses, and art therapists), patients, and industry experts, artists or designers, as well as observational data from the installations within healthcare environments can positively impact patient mental health and recovery. This study synthesizes insights from Stress Recovery Theory (SRT), Attention Restoration Theory (ART), and Flow Theory (FT) in psychology to develop a comprehensive framework for understanding how immersive nature-inspired interventions can enhance cognitive functioning, reduce stress, and improve emotional well-being in healthcare environments. The finding reveals that immersive media art can help to reduce stress, and these findings provide support for the idea that interactive media art is an effective means not only of cognitive restoration but also of attaining a flow state enabling emotional resilience. It also emphasizes the design of healthcare environments where biophilic and patient-centered spaces enhance and potentiate virtuosity in media arts interventions. This study contributes to the literature on art-based interventions in healthcare by highlighting the value of immersive, interactive environments that bridge the therapeutic qualities of nature and art. These findings provide insights for healthcare providers and policymakers seeking to implement alternative, patient-centered approaches to well-being. It provides an illustrative framework that could guide healthcare providers and designers in applying media arts to support holistic patient care conditions. Future research should explore diverse patient populations and examine long-term impacts on clinical outcomes.