Many people become impatient, anxious or bored in waiting rooms. But waiting rooms present an opportunity for health-care facilities to create an excellent first impression and help put patients at ease.
Delivering quality health care starts before patients see their providers. Find out how to design a peaceful waiting room for your patients.
Reduce noise levels
Controlling the noise exposure in the waiting room can improve patients’ experience. Sound-absorbing materials on walls, floors and ceilings will help prevent chaotic noise.
While it’s common for chairs to emit a sound when people sit in them, you should replace excessively squeaky or creaky furniture. Mute televisions and turn on closed captioning. If you play any music, it should be soothing and at a low volume.
Provide multiple seating options
Give patients varied seating so that they can choose what’s most comfortable for them.
Prioritizing patient comfort is a key component in designing a peaceful waiting room for your patients. Provide spacious and cushioned chairs with armrests for added support.
You can also use benches and sofas in waiting rooms. While you want patients to be comfortable, you don’t want to make anyone drowsy, so avoid overly plush seating.
Communicate clearly
Clear communication between staff and patients helps make the environment more friendly and dispels confusion. For example, communicate with patients about their expected wait times.
Help patients understand their place in the queue by placing screens in the room that display wait times or queue numbers. You can also have a staff member greet patients and give them an estimated wait time. Having friendly staff members is a cost-effective way to improve a medical waiting room and helps patients feel seen and heard.
Provide entertainment
While many patients use their smartphones to fill downtime, the waiting room should have entertainment options that can help keep the visitors patient. For example, puzzles can be fun for people of all ages.
Magazines are a staple of waiting rooms. Be sure to provide a variety of content so that there’s something for every patient to enjoy. And steer clear of publications that aim to elicit strong emotions since you want to promote a peaceful mindset.
