Just as commercial establishments have a reception room where guests are received; medical clinics have fit outs where patients have to wait till their turn to meet the doctor comes. Fit outs are rooms where the medical staff interact with patients and answer their queries while waiting for their turn to see the doctor. The design, color pattern, textures and the space occupied by the medical fit-outs really have a potential influence on the overall health of the patients.
While designing medical fit outs the following points should be taken into consideration
A) Comfort of patients
The rooms must be designed in a manner to provide maximum comfort to the patient and to prevent cross infections. The furniture should be designed in a manner so as to provide comfort to the patient depending on the specialty of the clinic, for example a dental clinic must have appropriate seating equipment to make patients feel comfortable while waiting for their turn, the entire space should be utilized in an ergonomic way.
B) Prevention of Cross Infection
Cross infection is a factor to be dealt with while designing fit outs, the design should be such so as to prevent cross infection which is a major risk faced by patients, since patients with different types of illnesses come to visit the doctor there is a strong chance that they could be cross infected with other new viruses. Patients come to get cured of their present illness and not to be infected with new ones.
C) General ambience to make patients feel mentally relaxed
- Apart from the physical comfort factor the general ambience of the fit out should be such so that the patient finds it mentally relaxing.
- Considering the anxiety that a patient faces while waiting for his/her turn the general appearance of the room including the colors used should not make patients conscious of their medical problems, on the contrary it should make them relax mentally and deviate their mind from the problem.
- The fit outs can also contain paintings, motifs or any other form of art which has a visual impact on the patients which will aid in mental relaxation.
- These rooms must have easy access to wash rooms and toilets in case a patient needs to use one. The general appearance should be such that patients feel as if they are in a recreational place rather than a clinic, rooms which have a typical clinic look make patients more conscious of their problems making them feel more depressed.
- Rooms could also have potted flower plants which give out a fresh aroma, which, just like visual appeal also helps the mind to relax and make patients divert their minds from their present problem.
Type of Flooring and the Overall Ambience
- Another important factor is the type of flooring used, the flooring should not be overly smooth, and while retaining an attractive appearance they should be such that the patient gets a good grip on it while walking on them especially in the case of pregnant women or patients who have to be helped while walking.
- The overall appearance should not be dull and boring but have a lively look making the patients wait in the clinic comfortable and relaxing, in fact the patient must be made to feel partly cured mentally even while waiting in the room.
- The design of furniture for the staff should also be comfortable since they will be spending a long time in the room, conditions that are uncomfortable to the staff may lead to irritation which in turn may reflect on the way they deal with patients.
The general conclusion one reaches after going through the above is that the appearance of fit outs should be such that patients feel comfortable and relaxed during their wait at the clinic. Go through this link for more information about medical fitouts and its advantages.