A smartly designed medical office space is known to contribute to a higher degree of staff productivity. Offices that have ample space, a comfortable atmosphere and a natural flow are more pleasing to patients. If you are opening or redesigning a medical office, creating a soothing space will contribute to the success of your practice
3 Medical Office Space Design Ideas
1. Create an Office Flow
Design a naturally flowing medical office space that enables patients and staff to move around more easily. For example, giving patients a direct line to the front desk will prevent bottlenecks in the waiting room. Layouts that usher patients in a single direction are most popular.
- Create a loop for patient traffic away from the reception desk and back towards it
- Design a waiting room that comfortably accommodates all of your patients
- Have multiple exam rooms to allow smoother transition between patients
- Build a “backstage” area away from the patients where staff can interact
- Maximize the use of available space
2. Design Your Exam Room
Since exam rooms are where the real work is performed, design these rooms for productivity first. You can optimize individual features of the room to allow your staff to work more efficiently. At the same time, work to retain patients by creating an environment that is comforting.
- Make every exam room look uniform
- Assure privacy for all your patients
- Design adjacent rooms to increase productivity
- Provide all the necessary equipment for your staff
- Build exam rooms that are big enough to make patients and staff feel comfortable
3. Make a Winning First Impression
First impressions count, especially in the medical profession. A comfortable, inviting waiting room goes a long way to creating a positive experience for patients. While nobody enjoys waiting, medical offices can enhance the patient experience by providing comfortable seating, television and reading materials.
- Choose a warm, inviting color scheme
- Install soft, soothing lighting
- Play relaxing music
- Offer comfortable seating
As you start the exciting process of creating a new office, let form follow function. A clear purpose from start to finish will help you fully optimize your Long Island medical office space.
