The healthcare sector is expanding quickly. It is one of the parts of our economy that is booming the fastest and is showing no indications of slowing down. Healthcare facilities are striving to grow, expand, and keep up with the increased number of individuals coming through their doors as the population ages.
People in the healthcare sector are reconsidering what a healthcare environment looks and feels like to achieve that. This is whether it be a patient’s room in a hospital, the waiting room in a clinic, or an exam room in a dentist’s office. Healthcare interior design trends aim to improve patients’ and families’ experiences and comfort using those spaces.
Top 10 Healthcare Interior Design Trends
Healthcare facilities have never been in the spotlight due to the COVID-19 pandemic bringing more patients to the hospital than usual. Hopefully, the pressure will lessen as 2022 draws closer, but healthcare interior design trends will still be driven by the desire to create stunning and practical interiors.
The most recent design trends in healthcare are primarily concerned with comfort and reducing anxiety, thematic designs, creative layouts, and usability. Watch out for these ten trends in the healthcare industry and elsewhere.
1. Wayfinding
Wayfinding is a crucial component of healthcare interior design and is frequently seen in flooring plans for retail and hospitality spaces. Wayfinding is the concept that flooring patterns, designs, and colors can act as a map to help individuals find their way through significant, unfamiliar areas. Hospitals are particularly prone to this since they sometimes have many departments and specializations dispersed around the building or buildings. The importance of employing floor patterns to direct people and their spacing has never been greater, especially in light of COVID-19’s call for rigidly enforced social distance.
Whatever flooring is chosen must be simple to clean and robust enough to resist spills and messes because this is a healthcare facility. Fortunately, many flooring solutions are long-lasting and distinctively made, making it simple and attractive to create a distinct and clear walkway.
The designer has the final say over the flooring patterns for wayfinding. Some people might choose one color to draw attention to a specific floor or wing of a hospital. This could guide clients from a waiting area to the examination rooms in a doctor’s office. You might also use a combination of wood and tile-look flooring to create a pattern or flooring design that people can walk on.
2. There Is Artwork Everywhere
Art has been added to medical facilities to provide opulent accents to normally sterile settings. A little extra warmth can be added by something as simple as a landscape picture hanging in the exam room of a doctor’s or dentist’s office.
More often than ever, art is used in healthcare settings to help create a cozy, relaxing atmosphere. Spaces are now being constructed around artwork like elaborate paintings, sculptures, and even murals because having a simple print in a room is no longer sufficient. These pieces of artwork not only provide life to sterile healthcare environments but may also make patients and their families feel more comfortable and at home.
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3. A Feeling Of Familiarity
In many businesses, there is a noticeable tendency toward designing spaces to resemble homes, but healthcare is one where this trend is even more helpful. Designers use traditional, homey components to give commercial rooms this appearance, creating a warm, inviting atmosphere for customers.
Many people experience some discomfort and anxiety when visiting the doctor, but by establishing a homey atmosphere, patients may feel more at ease. Patients require a location that doesn’t feel like a standard hospital room, especially if they stay in hospitals for several days or more. Using elements like natural wood flooring, you can achieve a home-away-from-home feel in a hospital facility.
4. Design Themes
Most healthcare facilities have had a reasonably uniform appearance and feel for a long time. The waiting rooms had the same periodicals, the furniture was practical and bland, and everyone had comparable artwork on their walls. However, the design concepts and color schemes used by hospitals and clinics are currently upsetting the status quo.
One of the more popular choices in domestic architecture is the Scandinavian style. Another is a more minimalistic theme. A nature-inspired piece with colors, artwork, plants, and thematic light and sound can create a Zen feel even in typically chaotic settings. Adding local touches can make individuals feel more at ease while waiting for a doctor and make them feel more at home.
5. Decorative Backgrounds For Virtual Health
During the COVID-19 epidemic, traditional healthcare consultations and appointments were no longer an option. Thus many exchanges shifted online. Many healthcare offices had to develop a well-designed space that could serve as the backdrop for telehealth calls to create the most professional experience possible.
While the specific background will differ depending on the location, it is generally wise to remove any unnecessary distractions. Try to decorate your desk with neutral colors and patterns. During a telemedicine session, it’s also crucial to consider lighting and acoustics. The speaker should be front-lit (with a light on their face) in a room where noise doesn’t reverberate.
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6. Areas That Employees Can use
Hospitals must have flexible working environments to benefit doctors, nurses, and other staff members. Most healthcare institutions have common areas and lounges that may be altered to meet different purposes, like telemedicine appointments.
Versatile work spaces are crucial because some staff, like nurses, may not have their own offices. These rooms or areas can serve as workstations and private staff meeting locations. This can be extremely helpful if a doctor is starting a practice and has limited resources. According to Propmodo, flexible shared office spaces can let these doctors realize their own goals for their private clinics without the initial outlay of furnishing a whole office space.
7. Comfortable Places
It must be balanced between Covid-19 protocols, such as social distancing, proper cleaning techniques, and convenience. Hospitals and healthcare facilities are becoming more aware of convenience’s important for patients and staff. To meet these needs, several organizations are renovating their spaces.
Offering practical solutions contributes to a productive workplace and is probably an incentive for potential hires. If the availability of on-site childcare is a determining factor in an employment decision, a hospital with such a facility may come out on top.
Convenient locations also target patients. On the Boston campus of Massachusetts General Hospital, there are restaurants, numerous on-site gift shops, a flower shop, and a hair salon. You can fill a prescription or get blood drawn without leaving the facility because many hospitals and healthcare facilities also have pharmacies and labs.
8. Renovation
In an ideal world, hospitals would grow to accommodate patient demand, but this isn’t always the case. Hospitals need to reduce construction time as much as possible because it can often be inconvenient for patients and staff. Instead, healthcare organizations realize the importance of renovating and upgrading existing rooms. Renovation involves thinking about the materials to employ in addition to the aesthetics of the design, with a focus on choosing durable materials.
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9. Increase In Outpatient Facilities
People are healthier and, as a result, are living longer in our world. In light of this, outpatient facilities are crucial. Patients can go to these locations without spending the night for tests or operations.
Outpatient facilities should consider comfort and design aesthetics, but they should also be practical, just like hospitals and other medical office buildings. The flooring must resist spills and constant foot and wheelchair traffic and be easy to clean.
10. Flexible Waiting Spaces
Many patients and family members spent much time in the hospital waiting area. After COVID-19, a lot of that became apparent. Some retail and hospitality design elements are making their way into the healthcare sector, where seating options and design features have not previously been a top priority.
Newly renovated waiting areas are easy to alter, relocate, and clean. Healthcare facilities choose seating arrangements that allow relatives to gather together in pods or chairs with taller backs to enhance privacy and acoustics. Also, there are other places with USB plugs and outlets for families or individuals who need to work outside their offices to pass the time. These features make it easier for patients, families, and even healthcare professionals to receive care by bringing many aspects of home into a healthcare environment.
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Interiors for healthcare facilities have changed from the sterile, impersonal styles of the past. Current healthcare design trends promote distinctive and warm settings that make patients feel comfortable and cared for before they ever meet the practitioner. You may improve patient comfort by including one or more of these designs in a healthcare setting.
