Does implementing care farms in psychiatric hospitals prevent staff burnout? A pragmatic, mixed-method pilot study

TL;DR

This study explores how adding agricultural and horticultural activities to a psychiatric hospital affects staff burnout and patient outcomes.

Contribution

The study introduces a feasible, staff-led approach to integrating care farms in psychiatric hospitals.

Findings

Agricultural and horticultural activities were successfully implemented year-round.

Emotional exhaustion among staff decreased over eight months.

Patients provided positive feedback on the intervention.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to implement a comprehensive intervention incorporating agricultural and horticultural activities in a psychiatric hospital, to assess the feasibility of this intervention, and to measure its impact on both staff and patients. We used a mixed-methods approach, including quantitative data from a self-administered questionnaire, qualitative data from meeting minutes, and semi-structured interviews to examine the feasibility and impact of the intervention.

The implementation of agricultural and horticultural activities within a hospital setting was possible by carefully listening to the preferences and opinions of the staff and by establishing step-by-step multidisciplinary meetings and projects. This approach promoted staff-led agricultural and horticultural activities. Ultimately, agricultural and horticultural activities became programs that could be implemented year-round, and collaboration with another facility was established. Over eight months, emotional exhaustion among staff also decreased, and patients provided positive feedback. The limitations of this study include its single-site design.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13104-026-07729-2.

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