When it comes to healthcare interior design, patients should come first. The design should not be about what healthcare executives want or how cheap building materials can be. Additionally, it should not be about designing for maximum number of rooms even if that means compensating with small patient rooms.
The atmosphere of a healthcare facility should be patient-driven, and that starts with the interior design. The interior design can actually have a vast impact on the overall recovery and experience for the patient.
Design for Healing
One of the first factors to take into consideration when designing the interior for healthcare is patient healing. Natural sunlight and warming colors can help with the healing process. Designing with large, open windows, glass walls, and other ways to let in natural sunlight have proven to benefit patient health.
Design for Simplicity and Efficiency
Another factor to consider when designing for healthcare is simplicity and efficiency. Unlike healthcare professionals, patients do not roam the halls of a hospital or healthcare facility on a daily basis. Therefore it should be made incredibly easy for them to navigate their way around and find what they are looking for. This can be accomplished through simple structural design as well as interior design that creates an almost turn-by-turn navigation for the patient.
Efficiency comes into play when it comes to patients going from one service to another. For example, operating rooms can be built on the same floor as the ICU or imaging services. This allows healthcare professionals to get their patients to where they need to be quickly.
Design for Comfort
Finally, healthcare interior design should be comforting. The drab hospitals of old were all about “sterility”. White walls, ceilings, and floors are out. No patient wants to spend time in a place that they’ve seen in a horror movie. Today’s healthcare facilities need to have lush, comforting waiting rooms filled with technology and greenery. Patient rooms have been expanding into private suites instead of the three-bed rooms of old. Communal areas where families can visit have also been shifting towards a much more comforting feel. They are filled with things that make visitors feel at home and patients feel comfortable.
All of these factors help to create a healthcare facility that patients can appreciate and truly heal at. If a patient’s mindset is not at ease, it can prolong and even stunt the healing process.
For more information about interior design for healthcare, please contact AKA Design Inc. or call us at 972-267-3421.