Using the Principles of the Holistic Wellness Concept in Designing and Developing Hospital Services: Case of Pärnu Hospital, Rehabilitation and Well-Being Centre

The perceptions and attitudes of society, including both people and organisations, are changing along with the development of knowledge and technology. Several fundamental changes have taken place in healthcare in recent decades. Hospitals around the world are challenged to support patients’ recovery and well-being by adding value to traditional medical treatments and developing new services. The holistic approach to health in developing and designing services based on patient well-being has become an integral part of hospital services. The development of Dunn’s high-level holistic wellness concept was triggered by the World Health Organisation’s definition of health in 1946, which carried the message that everyone is responsible for their own health. This broader understanding of health encouraged research and service development, including in the field of healthcare. By focusing on wellness as a continuous process that is never static, healthcare providers play a fundamental role in maintaining the vitality of a person. However, gaps can be found in the application of the holistic wellness concept in the design of healthcare services. This chapter will present an overview of implementing theoretical approaches of the holistic wellness concept in healthcare, noteworthy changes and trends in the design and development of hospital services, and the application of the concept in the design of services. The experience of planning, targeting and developing a rehabilitation and well-being centre at Pärnu Hospital (Estonia) is described to explain how the wellness concept and wellness dimensions were the basis of the design and development of the centre’s services.