Whether you’re staying for a few days or a week or more, the hospital room is your home away from home while you’re recovering from an illness. While hospitals are designed to serve the needs of medical professionals, more attention is now being paid to patient comfort and the impact that the environment has on the healing process.
When you think of a hospital room, you probably imagine a white space with a bed and a few pieces of furniture. While some rooms may be more minimalist than others, most have a bed, a chair, a table, a TV, and sometimes even a window. In many cases, you won’t have your own bathroom, though, but instead share a common bathroom with other patients.
In recent years, however, architects and designers have been experimenting with ways to make hospital rooms more comfortable for patients. They’ve been focusing on things like lighting and color, sound and ambiance, ergonomics, and nourishing elements.
Most of these changes have been driven by a growing understanding that the physical environment can impact a patient’s ability to heal, as well as the perception and experience of being in the hospital. For example, light and color can have a positive effect on mood, and certain colors can promote relaxation. Research has also found that a sense of connection to other people is important to the healing process, which can be accomplished through visitors sitting close enough to touch and have eye-level conversations, as well as easy access for cell phones and personal computers.
Another way to promote a sense of connection is through in-room entertainment systems, which can be used for everything from watching movies and playing video games to telehealth and education. These features help to create a more homelike environment for patients and increase their comfort while they’re in the hospital, resulting in a better overall experience.
One of the biggest challenges in designing a hospital room is making sure that it serves the different functions of patients and caregivers. While you’re in the hospital, your needs will change throughout the day and night, so it’s important that the room has flexibility. For example, the layout should allow nurses to quickly move around a room without disrupting patient care.
Other key features of a hospital room include easy-to-reach storage spaces for patients, a safe for valuables and independent access to their belongings. For instance, most hospitals tell patients to give their valuables to family members or send them home with someone else, but sometimes those items can be left out for a longer period of time than is ideal. Having secure storage, such as a safe or an armoire, can improve patients’ safety and security while also allowing them to keep their favorite personal belongings with them.