While the patient experience must be a priority, your healthcare waiting room design must impact the productivity of the doctors or receptionists.
Some patients experience annoyance or stress when attending their healthcare appointments – forming a strategic healthcare waiting room design can improve the experience for patients and visitors. While the patient experience must be a priority, your healthcare waiting room design must impact the productivity of the doctors or receptionists.
Hospitable Reception Area
Developing a warm and welcoming reception area in your healthcare site will help put your patients at ease because an open, brightly lit room is always friendlier than a dark space. Instead of the harsh fluorescent overhead lights that might feel sterile for a comforting environment, use warmer lights or wall-mounted fixtures and table lamps to balance the colors. Painting the walls with a calming or neutral color can make the waiting area feel cozier.
Additionally, finish decorating the healthcare waiting room with homey touches like coffee tables, coat racks, or potted plants. If your medical office requires carpet flooring, consider laying down some area rugs. Or try to make the waiting room feel more like a living room to help calm your anxious patients.
Prioritize Accommodations
Your healthcare waiting room should be comfortable, clean, and able to accommodate visiting patients of all ages, sizes, and heights. Wide seats with armrests tend to be the most accessible. Also, leave out sufficient reading material like newspapers, informative brochures, and magazines for patients and visitors to enjoy while waiting.
Increase the Privacy of Receptionist Work
Since the receptionist or a medical assistant will most likely administer check-ins and check-outs, answer calls, and process gains at the front desk, a clear separation between the waiting space and their working area is crucial. Employees won’t want to disturb patients with excess noise. However, maintaining some privacy for the receptionist is also essential since they manage personal medical information. Lastly, the noisier office equipment, such as printers and fax machines, should be placed in the back of the reception area to diminish distractions and keep confidential medical documents away from prying eyes.
Choose Edwards & Hill for Your Office Furniture and Design Needs
Are you ready to redesign your office to maximize productivity and creative thinking? Edwards & Hill can help you design and install the perfect designs for your business. Edwards & Hill is a leading office, education, medical, and hospitality furniture provider with high-quality design and installation services for any style or scale. We have our headquarters in Annapolis Junction, Maryland, and another convenient office location in St. Louis, Missouri. If you are ready to get your office design started, contact us online or give us a call at 301-317-4250. For the St. Louis office, please call 314-797-5077. For more furniture design tips, follow us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and Pinterest