3 Trends in Medical Office Design
Whether it’s a large hospital or a small clinic, the design of a healthcare facility can have a significant impact on patient experiences and outcomes, but designing a medical office can come with a lot of unique challenges. Not only is it essential to make sure patient and staff needs are being met, there are a multitude of other factors to consider, like accessibility, support for equipment and technology, and sanitation needs. The healthcare industry is also in a constant state of change and growth, which can affect the spaces medical professionals work in. Here are four key design trends shaping today’s medical offices.
Image: Pexels / Karolina Grabowska
Spaces for Telehealth Services
The Coronavirus pandemic had a drastic impact on telehealth services. Before the pandemic, telehealth services were largely used by people who lived in areas with limited access to healthcare. Once the pandemic hit, demand for telehealth services exploded before many providers had a chance to adequately prepare. Now that things have settled down again, many healthcare providers want to make sure they’re ready for future growth of telehealth so that they’ll be able to better meet patient needs. One key part of this process involves creating spaces that are designed to effectively support virtual meetings with patients, with features like good lighting, clean backgrounds, audio/visual equipment, and acoustic solutions that improve sound quality and provide privacy.
Incorporating Comfort
For many people, going to a doctor’s office or hospital can be a stressful experience. Lately, many medical practices have been trying to help by creating spaces that remind people of more comforting environments, like residential homes. Televisions and coffee tables full of magazines have long been common sights in waiting rooms, but many medical offices are going even further to make waiting rooms feel more like living rooms by decorating with calming neutrals and using wood finish laminate flooring instead of carpeting.
Biophilic Design
The biophilic design trend ties in perfectly with the trend of creating comforting spaces. Biophilic design has been an extremely influential trend in office design for many years and it’s also a big trend in medical offices for many of the same reasons: studies have shown that being in spaces that remind people of nature helps them feel more relaxed and refreshed. But in the case of healthcare settings, biophilic design can not only help patients and staff feel more at ease, some research has linked biophilic design to improved patient outcomes, such as improved recovery times and improved pain management.
Biophilic design is a concept based around the idea of bringing elements of nature indoors, such as decorating with wood or stone elements, decorating with colors that are commonly found in nature, live plants, and artwork featuring natural scenes. Maximizing natural light is another very popular aspect of biophilic design.
Is it time to give your medical office an update? Premier Construction & Design has experience working on these types of spaces in the metro Detroit area. Take a look at our portfolio to see some examples of other clinical settings we’ve worked on. When you’re ready to move forward, contact us so that we can learn more about your project.
