According to the latest statistics from the healthcare sector, an estimated 145 million people visit hospital emergency rooms each year in the United States. Another 860 million find themselves in their doctors’ offices. Millions more visit friends and relatives in hospitals or accompany people to their medical appointments. Numerous factors affect visitors’ experiences at these healthcare facilities, including quality of care and wait times. Medical personnel are on a constant quest to improve those experiences in various ways, but one important detail often gets overlooked: the furniture and decor.
Why Is Furniture Important in a Healthcare Facility?
Many people might wonder why furniture is important in a healthcare facility. After all, people aren’t there to see the decor. They’re there to visit the doctor or provide moral support for a loved one. What difference does the furniture make? In truth, it contributes a great deal to the patient and visitor experience. Because of that, it’s important to work with a healthcare furniture dealer to find just the right pieces to equip a medical facility. Consider the following details when picking out furnishings for your clinic or hospital.
Comfort and Atmosphere
Furniture for a healthcare facility needs to be comfortable. Ideally, patients and visitors won’t be waiting very long when they’re visiting. Still, they need to be comfortable while they’re there. That’s especially true if they’re not feeling well. At the same time, the atmosphere the furniture helps to create is also crucial. If you’re furnishing a pediatrician’s office, bright, playful colors may be in order. For some other types of practices, blue might be the better option because of its soothing, calming effects. Different hues can affect people’s moods, so color is certainly an important element.
Visitors’ Safety
Safety is another factor to keep in mind when taking care of patients. Having furniture with sharp edges may not be the safest option for children or patients who are at high risk of losing their balance or falling. Making sure the furniture you choose won’t tip over or slide out from under patients is also something to think about. From another perspective, spreading germs from one patient to another should be avoided at all costs. That means the furniture you select needs to be resistant to pathogens and easy to sterilize. On a side note, the flooring you choose to go along with the furniture will play a crucial role in safety as well.
Finding the Perfect Furniture for Your Practice
Think about the types of patients and visitors your healthcare facility most often accommodates. Take their needs into consideration while deciding which type of furniture is best for your practice. Consider durability, too. Though the furniture should be safe, easy to clean, comfortable, and welcoming, it also needs to last as long as possible. Thanks to all the visitors coming into your facility, it’s bound to be subjected to a certain amount of abuse over time. Let these factors be your guide during your search, and you’re sure to find the perfect furnishings for your facility.