Systematic Review of Forest Therapy Program for Adult Patients with Diseases

ABSTRACT

Purpose@#The purpose of this study was to analyze the characteristics and effects of the forest therapy programs for adult patients. @*Methods@#Six databases (PubMed, Cochrane library, CiNii, PsychoInFO, AGRICOL, EMBASE) and six domestic databases were systematically searched with language restrictions of Korean, English, and Japanese. The systematic review was based on the Preferred Reporting Items Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) flow diagram. @*Results@#Twenty five studies met the inclusion criteria. A systematic review identified adult patients classified as 1) disease of the circulatory system, 2) mental and behavioral disorders, 3) malignant neoplasms, 4) etc. (diabetes mellitus, chronic pain). This integrative review showed a positive effect of the forest therapy program for adult patients on physiological indices such as blood pressure, heart rate, heart rate variability, level of stress hormone, and natural killer cells as well as social · psychological indices such as the Profile of Mood States (POMS), anxiety, depression, and quality of life. @*Conclusion@#The results of this study could be useful key principles in developing and applying the forest therapy programs in nursing intervention. Further research should be conducted to develop the forest therapy programs suitable for each patient group and measure its effectiveness.