Daylighting and Patients' Access to View Assessment in the Palestinian Hospitals' ICUs.

This article focuses on assessing daylight availability and patients' access to views in intensive care units (ICUs) of Palestinian hospitals, highlighting their importance for patient wellness and healthcare staff satisfaction. The study evaluated five tertiary hospitals using daylight factor (DF) measurements, architectural analysis, and interviews with medical staff, finding that most ICU designs fail to provide adequate natural light or views, with average DF values below the recommended 3% and limited or no access to outside views. These deficiencies are linked to increased patient delirium, sleep disorders, and staff dissatisfaction, reflecting a lack of standardized design guidelines and insufficient involvement of medical experts in ICU planning. The authors recommend establishing binding local standards to optimize window size, placement, glazing, and bed orientation to enhance daylight exposure and views, aligning with international guidelines from the Facilities Guidelines Institute and the Society of Critical Care Medicine.