We are committed to working with healthcare administrators and staff to develop facilities that not only meet basic medical needs but also provide pleasant, low-stress environments for patients to heal.
Reduced environmental stressors
Stress can impede a patient's immune system, lengthening the healing process. One of the biggest stressors in a hospital is noise, which can disturb patients trying to relax or sleep. Noise can be combated with private patient rooms, elimination of PA systems and acoustical separation of rooms from adjacent corridors and staff work areas.
Patient privacy and dignity
Private rooms benefit patients in many ways, including infection control and noise reduction. Patients with a sense of control over their environment tend to experience less stress in what can be a very frightening environment.
Access to information
Providing patients and their familiies with access to resources for self-education helps to decrease uncertainty. It is also important to post clear signage throughout the hospital. This not only eases wayfinding for new visitors, but also directs traffic in set patterns, separating visitors from staff and establishing a calmer, more efficient environment.
Positive distractions
Contact with nature, in the form of artwork, outdoor views and integrated healing gardens, can help diffuse stress. Music, helping to mask institutional noise, can also work to create a positive healing environment, particularly when patients can control what they hear in their rooms. Interior design elements should be non-institutional, warm and inviting.
Family and staff support
By enabling families to spend time with patients and providing them with comfortable accommodations, healthcare facilties can indirectly aid the healing process. Designing rooms with enough space for visitors to interact with patients without impeding staff helps accomplish this.
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