Durability and thorough cleaning will always be in style in healthcare. With new viruses appearing and old diseases making a reappearance, cleaning protocols have more relevance. Hospitals are paying close attention to design and realize the effect it has on the health of patients and visitors.
A trend to a smaller footprint
In keeping with a ‘patient first’ approach hospitals are turning to smaller waiting areas. A trend that is especially prevalent in the ER. The smaller the wait area, the faster patients are seen and diagnosed. The furniture in these smaller wait zones is trending away from an institutional regimented look toward a comfortable, lounge design easily cleaned. Better spaces and healthier patients go hand in hand.
The trend of healthy lighting
Lighting in healthcare is doing more than creating a brighter area. The right kind of lighting in a healthcare setting as actually healthy. Designers are incorporating light indoors that mimics the natural light outside. That light behaves just as the light in nature does, from sun up to sundown on a cloudy or cloudless day. The right lighting modulates the body’s rhythms prompting rest and healing.
Designed for employee retention
Patients and their families are the primary concern in hospitals but what about the staff who diagnose and care for them. Design in today’s hospitals is also taking time to focus on the employees and keep good ones in place. Continuity of care is an important aspect of overall care. In addition to safe flooring to protect scurrying staff from falling and general maintenance of common areas, the private staff break room is gaining popularity. These break rooms are far from the table, chairs, coffee pot and snack machine. Enter the break lounge with comfortable lounge chairs, workspaces with technology to help staff stay connected, recliners for a quick nap and counters and stools for lunch. Caring for the care giver never looked so good.