Planning on constructing a new healthcare facility design, but aren’t sure which patient waiting room layout to choose? Perhaps you want to take your existing private practice layout to the next level, and incorporate color schemes and evidence-based hospital design methods that most patients respond well to. Based on a survey titled Consumer Perceptions of the Healthcare Environment, patients listed details that matter most to them in choosing a doctor.
Healthcare facility design primer
Choosing the right physical environment for your healthcare facility is almost as important as using the right medications and therapies. For most patients, time spent sitting in waiting rooms, shuffling down hospital corridors, or standing in line at the reception area is an instrumental part of the healing process, and strongly influences their decision to return to the same medical facility for future appointments. What are some of the first things that patients notice when they enter your waiting room? To find out, The Center for Health Design and The Picker Institute conducted a survey that provided some interesting clues.Ambulatory care settings
For outpatient healthcare facilities, patients rated their experience according to these factors:- Parking lot accessibility
- Elevators
- Comfortable, almost home-like décor
- Relaxing, soft color hues
- Friendly, experienced medical staff
- Care that extends to waiting areas
- Roomy physical environment
- Large, clear signs that direct patients to other areas of the healthcare facility, and warn against safety hazards
Acute care settings
For short-term treatment facilities, patients relate to their healthcare facility environment on a much more personal level.- Patients viewed their healthcare facility physicians as a “lifeline” to wellness.
- For most patients, visits to the doctor’s office are the center of their experience coping with chronic illness.
- Many attributed hospital admissions with a disproportionate amount of the stress they experience during their medical care.
- Patients reacted strongly to “sensory changes.”
What do patients want most?
To sum it up, most patients want their healthcare facility experience to impart the following elements:- Hominess
- Security
- Wellbeing
- Convenience
- Connection
- Confidentiality
- Privacy
- Accessibility
- Nurturing
- Nature