Lighting has many benefits and advantages. For retail stores, lights can increase sales and popularity. For educational buildings, lighting can promote productivity and reduce anxiety. Relevantly, lighting in healthcare facilities impacts patients, visitors, and staff.
With better lighting, healthcare facilities can create a more pleasant experience for all those involved. Want to understand more about the impact of good and bad lighting on healthcare facilities? Keep reading to learn ways healthcare facilities can improve their lighting and how GCE National can help!
Impact of Good Lighting on Healthcare
The Patient and Visitor Experience
When a patient is emitted to a healthcare facility, they often experience some anxiety or fear. Likewise, visitors may also experience stress. To avoid promoting negative feelings, healthcare facilities can install lights that calm patients and visitors.
Good lighting in healthcare facilities often includes ambient lighting and color tuning. Color tuning lights are typically used to imitate the outside world. Artificial lights may hinder a patient’s recovery.
Every individual has something called a circadian rhythm. Your circadian rhythm is an individual’s internal clock; this tells a person when to be awake and when to go to sleep.
When emitted to a healthcare facility, the lights must match the natural circadian rhythm. As an illustration, bright lights during alert hours and dim lights during drowsy hours. Changing the brightness and color of the lights can help a patient’s body relax and easily rest.
Good lighting can also have a positive impact on visitors. Good lighting allows patients and visitors to complete necessary paperwork; it also helps visitors navigate confusing hallways and floors.
The Employee’s Ability to Function
Good lighting also impacts the employee’s ability to function and perform essential tasks. With adequate lighting, staff members can effectively conduct diagnostics and examinations. Healthcare staff is required to accomplish various duties throughout their work shift.
With good lighting, employees can treat each patient; they need to offer diagnostic examinations, consultations, emotional support, physical aid, surgeries, assessments, and much more. Staff members are also expected to handle administrative duties as well. For example, accessing records, reading lab reports, completing the patient charts, logging personal logs, etc. Good lighting is crucial to healthcare facilities.
Reduce Overall Costs
Healthcare facilities with good lighting can reduce overall costs and energy output; by using timed lights, automatic lights, and energy-efficient lights. Timed lights can reduce overall costs because they are not on twenty-four-seven. At certain parts of the day, lights will shut off automatically, reducing the electricity bill.
Automatic lights can also reduce overall costs. When a room is no longer in use, it will turn off the lights.
Many healthcare facilities are opting for LED bulbs in place of traditional light bulbs. LED lights can save you a lot of money because they are long-lasting. These lights are also low-maintenance, which is necessary for a healthcare facility. Lights that require constant upkeep can disturb patients and disrupt staff members’ productivity.
Impact of Bad Lighting on Healthcare
Impact of Bad Lighting on HealthcareBad lighting has a very serious impact on healthcare facilities. With bad lighting, healthcare establishments can appear unwelcoming and uninviting. The last thing a patient wants to feel is unwanted or out of place in a place of healthcare.
When a patient is uncomfortable, they are more than likely going to leave; this is not good because they may leave before they are helped. You will probably lose their business as well.
Lights that are too bright or too dim may also hinder your staff. Workers require the best lighting to better care for their patients.
Ways Healthcare Facilities Can Improve Lighting
Choose Easily Adjustable Lights
Easily adjustable lights can aid both the patient and the staff. For patients, the lights must imitate the outside world; this will not disrupt th
Adjustable lights also help convey a message to patients and visitors. It is natural to assume that dim lights mean quiet time and bright lights mean the opposite. Adjustable lights can help convey quiet times for visitors.
Task Lighting for Staff
For healthcare workers, task lighting is essential for their job. Staff members may need adjustable lights, as well. Adjustable lights can be moved via their needs or their patient’s needs. If a worker requires more illumination during an examination, an adjustable light will come in handy.
Task lighting can also be beneficial for overnight workers. Overnight employees will need lights that will aid them in their duties while not hindering their patient’s rest. Good lighting is necessary for administration duties, cleaning, and care.
Talk to a GCE National Expert
Lastly, to improve lighting in your healthcare facility, you can talk to a professional! GCE National employees have aided countless other businesses in their lighting plans, and they can do the same for you! When talking with a GCE National expert, you can learn the impact your current lights have on your healthcare facility and how to implement better lighting. Talk to a GCE National employee today about improving the lighting in your healthcare facility!
