Waiting rooms are a crucial part of your healthcare experience. They are the first place where a patient will see a healthcare professional, providing a critical first impression. In fact, in this experience, a patient’s first impression of a waiting room can be so powerful that it can significantly impact how the patient ultimately feels about the treatment.

Does your waiting room enhance the mood and comfort of your patients? Read on, as experts share their tips on how to design the right atmosphere in your waiting room.

Medical treatment is not one of our most enjoyable activities; therefore, the most important goal when designing a waiting room should be providing the patients with a pleasant atmosphere.  We need to create an environment that soothes them, which eventually helps them relax during the treatment.

What colors to use and how?

Colors that inspire calm and tranquility are best for medical offices. Choosing blues and its shades for medical waiting rooms makes sense. Dark blue tones convey a sense of seriousness, while light blues convey a sense of serenity. When using blues, add warmer colors to avoid creating a cold environment. If you wish to keep the white walls, choose furniture pieces that are brightly colored. An inspired choice might be a modular seating system made from turquoise and blue elements.

Consider hanging a few paintings on your walls. Artwork with dominant colors such as blue, green, and yellow will introduce life into your waiting room. Your wall art is the perfect way to tie together an ideal waiting room’s aesthetic. Make your room visually interesting and pleasing by finding wall art that matches your color scheme.

Furniture choices make a difference

The majority of waiting rooms in medical practices are the same. Chairs arranged in rows, tables piled high with old magazines, a TV tuned to the national news. Patients often feel uncomfortable and less relaxed when they are sitting next to someone they don’t know and who is as anxious as they are.

Consider arranging waiting room chairs around a coffee table for families, creating a quiet area for professionals, and creating a child-friendly corner to keep children entertained. Having modular furniture gives you further control.

Your furniture should reflect your healthcare practice’s style, material, and color. For example, practices that want to be known for their cutting-edge services and equipment might choose furniture with clean lines. On the other hand, Holistic health offices may use neutral colors and natural materials.

Whether you’re furnishing a waiting room from scratch or revamping an existing one, invest in furniture that your patients will find comfortable. It’s important to select durable pieces which would withstand some wear and tear. Spend time researching your options instead of choosing the first option you see.

The role of lights is not negligible

Your patients can become uncomfortable and anxious if your lighting is too bright. You can have dimmable or adjustable lights installed or choose standing or table lamps that are softer. The brightness should be closer to your living room at home rather than an operating room.

Liven up the place

You want your waiting room to be a lively and welcoming place. Adding some natural decor would be a good idea for a calming atmosphere. A few potted plants can naturally aerate a room and make it feel less stuffy. Potted plants are also attractive. Moreover, multiple studies have discovered that plants can have a calming effect. Select plants that give off a pleasant, relaxing scent like lavender, as well as a few colorful species.

You can also consider installing a fish tank in your waiting room. According to a study, the sound of running water and fish watching calms the nerves. These subtle choices help patients relax ahead of otherwise nerve-racking treatments. All these elements, a soothing color scheme, wall art, plants, and a fish tank, will add a special touch to your waiting room, and the patient will be pleased to be back.

Get to know your community

Doctor offices are local businesses, and people like to be connected to their community.

You can show your ties to the community by hanging a community bulletin board with fliers about local hikes, farmers’ markets, and other healthy activities. Partnering with local artists to display their artwork for sale is another great idea to connect your community.

Pay attention to the music

Once you’ve set up the interior of the waiting room, there’s one more important element you need to take care of, and that’s the background music. The background music in your waiting room significantly impacts the comfort, convenience, and atmosphere of those waiting there.

Extra: How Does Music Affect Business? 

Music in waiting rooms has several benefits:

• Smooth the conversations between patients and staff
• Music creates a more intimate atmosphere
• It makes everyone feel more relaxed
• Music waves stimulate the brain, which has multiple health benefits
• Music reduces anxiety
• Study shows that certain sounds can promote positive emotions in therapies

Adding music to waiting rooms is essential for improving the customer experience. By stimulating positivity, background music at healthcare helps reduce the patients’ stress levels. It also makes them feel good during the wait. Overall, music allows customers to enjoy their waiting experience. A memorable experience might make a difference in retaining return customers and referrals.

Before you start implementing music in your healthcare waiting room, make sure you read this article:

Here’s why not to use YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music: Background Music for Business: Can I use Spotify, Apple & Others?

(briefly: you could pay heavy fines because these are non-business licensed music streaming services)

So what is the solution? Jukeboxy. For $29.99 a month, you will have access to a music library of over 40 million tracks, curated playlists for healthcare, and many other valuable features. You can find more about Jukeboxy features here:

Jukeboxy Features with a 14-day free trial

Your waiting room may not determine whether patients choose your practice or not, but it will affect their memory of their visit. Creating a healthy, productive, and beautiful waiting room is essential for making patients loyal customers.

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