How Better Hospital Design Improves Patient Healing
A person’s environment affects their behavior and well-being. This has been proved in countless scientific studies over the years. Hospitals can use this fact to help their patients. Certain room elements will help with the success of its staff’s efforts. Others will bring about more failure. The facility’s design, furnishings, and decorations should be chosen carefully, then. Here are some elements they should keep in mind.
Beauty
A beautiful space makes a person feel happier. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Abraham Maslow himself once conducted a study on the matter. He put subjects in three rooms. The first was attractive and clean, the second average, and the third hideous and dirty. The results were as expected. The attractive room occupants acted happier than those in the other two rooms. Those in the hideous room were negative and irritable.
Happiness level is also directly related to health. Making a beautiful, clean, and organized space makes someone healthier. They’re then able to heal faster. A hospital should make its facility beautiful, clean and organized. Avoid cluttering it up with too many objects. Keep all spaces free of mess. Choose decor pieces that are stylish, such as glass barn doors and colorful wall paintings. Match these with comfortable furnishings like chairs and sofas.
Coloring
The human mind is affected by the colors it sees. Studies in color psychology have shown this many times. Certain colors promote specific emotions in people. Red causes passion and aggression. Blue makes individuals serene and calm. Tones and shades can also make people judge a space. A white room is considered clean. A purple room has a luxurious air.
Consider coloring the rooms of a facility based on their purposes. A red physical therapy room can give occupants a needed motivation. A blue waiting room can prevent impatience. White in many places can make a hospital appear sanitized. This can increase patients’ trust.
Add in Nature
Nature’s presence helps humans in two ways. It can help them feel calmer and happier. It also makes them physically healthier. Lower blood pressure and enhanced immune systems were reported in nature walkers. For this reason, psychologists recommend spending two hours a week in nature.
A garden is a good thing to consider, then. Patients can be brought there to help their recovery. If this is not in the budget, there are other options. Consider putting plants around the building. You can also put pictures of natural scenes around the place. Just make sure that it isn’t too cluttered.
Lighting
The lighting of a room can affect energy levels. Think of it as being parallel to the sun throughout the day. The sun is brighter during the height of the day. This is when humans should be awake. The natural body knows this. The mind gives it energy hormones accordingly. Warmer lights have the opposite effect to this. The sun is more orange when it’s setting. The brain is then signaled to start producing relaxation hormones. These will help promote sleep.
Consider who needs to be energetic and who should be relaxed. Medical staff members, like nurses, need to stay energetic. If their spaces have warm lights, they’ll have less energy. However, patients need to rest. They can’t do this in the presence of brighter lights. Rooms need to be adjusted according to these needs. Put brighter lights in spaces where doctors and nurses are most often seen. This will help them stay active. Recovery rooms should have warmer lights. This will help patients sleep and relax as they heal.
Healing should be a hospital’s purpose. It’s not a good one if it can’t help in this way. It may be difficult to implement these helpful features. Budgets can be tight. Construction can interfere with schedules. In the end, though, these improvements should be done. The higher rates of successful healing and happier moods of staff and patients will be worth it.
