Hospital and other medical office waiting rooms have one thing in common, they are the first places the public sees when they are seeking care. These spaces are where the introductions are made to the healthcare facility. Visitors to these spaces make mental checklists that inform future decisions about their care. While artwork and a view can enhance these spaces and impressions, patients and visitors interact with the furniture here, especially the seating. Here are some guidelines on just what they expect.
Design flexibility
Hospital lobbies, waiting rooms and sub waiting rooms are moving away from tightly compacted rows of seats, a change dictated by the pandemic. Small seating groups, anchored by comfortable lounge seating is the new normal. Here visitors can wait and work privately and feel comfortable. Seating that is more hospitality in design, using high end vinyl fabrics is looks beautiful and is healthcare chemical cleanable.
Finishes that last and last
One of the first signs of aging furniture shows up on the legs and arms of lobby and waiting area furniture due to constant vacuuming and cleaning protocols. As hospitals increase their cleaning protocols, wood and metal furniture degrade and look old. The chipping and swelling from the normal cleaning and disinfecting of wood finishes on chairs in healthcare is well documented. So is the unsightly rusting of metal chairs. By using the Kwalu’s award-winning patented solid surfaces, hospitals don’t need to prematurely look their age.
Surfaces that are easily and deeply cleaned
When you consider the sheer numbers of people who visit healthcare facilities daily, including hospitals, doctors and dental offices and emergency rooms, you understand how quickly germs can spread. Ideal surfaces in a healthcare environment are nonporous, smooth, free of nicks and scratches, making them less likely to harbor dangerous pathogens and easier to deep clean. Kwalu’s healthcare furniture surfaces stand up to harsh healthcare chemicals and continue to look like new.
Durability and strength
The furniture in healthcare lobbies and waiting spaces should suggest a healing and calm environment exists throughout the hospital or doctor’s office. Kwalu’s healthcare furniture is beautifully designed and made of high-impact-resilient polymer and patented steel joint construction. Wood is porous by nature and prone to nicks and scratches, not dependable when it comes to durability. The Kwalu finishes can not only take the bumps of wheelchairs, walkers and gurneys, but a few strokes of steel wool also keeps them in pristine condition.