Having a well-designed, highly functional yet aesthetically pleasing medical office is going to improve customer experience and overall service. It will also establish a good reputation for your medical centre, which is essentially what we want to achieve. As it can already be intimidating entering into a medical facility, for both existing patients and new patients alike, it is pertinent that we create a welcoming, safe and comfortable space.
Unlike before, designing a medical office has become more flexible and creatively innovative. These ways can either enhance or transform your medical space into one that is both functional and pleasing. What ways are we referring to, you ask? Read on to find out more about how you can achieve your ideal medical office interior design and medical office fit-out.
What You Need to Consider
It is no surprise that you would need to consider a list of factors when it comes to designing a medical office space as compared to a regular office space. Apart from the usual budget and themes, here are six other factors you should take into consideration before beginning your design journey.
- Privacy and Protection
When designing a medical office, always remember to take into account the privacy and protection of your patients and staff. Designs should promote privacy and protection for both parties equally. For example, have private examination rooms that are noise-cancelling.
- Comfort
This is where the warmth and welcoming gesture comes in. Medical offices are not just a place of consultations and medications but rather a place of healing. Having a spacious yet welcoming space is a must. Achieve this easily by having natural light and plants placed around. Having natural elements placed around a medical facility promotes a calm and relieving environment.
- Size and Spacing
Size and spacing vary between different medical offices which could determine your office design as well. A bigger medical office such as a hospital would receive over a hundred patients a day whereas a smaller facility would average about 10 to 12 patients a day. Design a medical office design layout catering to the number of patients you would typically see on a daily average.
With a higher number of patients, have more consideration in designing waiting rooms, amenities and exam rooms. As for smaller medical office design, you could opt to have more priority in designing the waiting area and examination rooms.
- Traffic Flow
This brings about our next factor: Traffic Flow. Depending on what medical office you have, no office space should have people backtracking or squeezing their way through unless it is absolutely necessary. The last thing you would want in a medical office is the human congestion of sick patients and rushing medical staff. Have a considerate floor layout plan before determining your other design elements.
- Expansion Plans
As medical offices would need to regularly be updated in terms of equipment and services, design a medical space that is expectant for changes. Whether you are a small medical facility or a big medical facility, having the ability to expand and transform your space shows that you are able to adapt and saves you trouble in the long run.
- Legal Requirements
Yes, legal requirements. Every country and every state should have specific requirements for establishing your medical office space. One of which is all the necessary and updated equipment to treat patients, both abled and disabled. You would also have to provide the measurements of hallways, lifts and many more. Solving this part would save you loads of time and legal hassle in the future.
10 Ways to Modernise Your Medical Office Design
Now that you are aware of the considerations you need to take into account, let us proceed to the 10 different ways you can modernise your medical office while being both functional and aesthetically pleasing. Note that these are merely suggestions and that you should pick and match them according to your medical office space as no medical facility is completely alike.
- A Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Environment
One thing’s for sure, sustainability has never been more in trend today. We are not just talking about implementing a reduce and recycle system but a complete office revamp starting with mindful choices. We can begin by choosing sustainable and eco-friendly locally sourced medical office furniture. You may have heard of some myths regarding how furniture made from recycled items may not last as long as new ones but they really do! Some, even longer.
A modern medical office design today typically involves sustainability in some kind of way. If sustainable medical office furniture is not something you would like to explore just yet, you could check out some sustainable noise reduction materials for soundproofed rooms.
- Collaborative Working Spaces
Collaborative working spaces do not have to just stop at corporate offices, why not implement them as part of your medical office design as well? It helps promote cooperation between different faculties of medical staff and better communication. This will greatly benefit both medical staff and patients.
- More Like Home, Less Like a Clinic
Modernising your medical office into one that radiates warmth yet professionalism is very much in trend today and it is not leaving anytime soon. Build a space that is designed for people rather than patients, providing them with a sense of welcome and calm whenever they enter the space.
This can come in the form of colours, decorations and mindful renovations. Earth-tone colours such as cream, sage or even yellow can help create that welcoming atmosphere. Coupled with decorations such as decals of encouraging quotes and amenities made specifically for various patients, your medical office will be more of a home than a clinic.
- Regularly Update the Amenities
In a medical office space, updating your amenities to fit according to your patient’s needs is highly important. Especially in areas like the hospice, examination rooms and even the waiting area. Regularly keeping your amenities updated shows how established and well-kept your medical facility is which in turn promotes trust and confidence in old and new patients.
- A Welcoming Medical Reception
While some may think the reception area does not hold as much importance as the rest of the medical spaces, it really does. Do not overlook one of the first areas your patients would have to pass through and obtain private information frequently. As this would create a lasting first impression, create a reception area that is easy to spot, navigate and aesthetically welcoming.
- Ergonomic Waiting Areas
Waiting areas are for everyone. Therefore, ergonomic furniture and amenities to accommodate most visitors’ and patients’ needs are highly trendy. These waiting room medical office decor could come in the forms of strategically placed charging ports, comfortable ergonomic chairs to accommodate long hours of sitting or interactive boards to keep the younger ones entertained.
- Have Comfortable Break Rooms
You would want to create spaces for patients to get ample rest, mentally and physically after treatment and examinations. With examination rooms where patients may have to go through various processes, break rooms are where they get to retreat and relieve stress. Create the right ambience that allows people to enjoy their resting periods.
- Consider the Needs of Your Staff
With constant day in and day out of treating patients, remember to take care of your medical staff as well! For example, providing amenities such as napping pods in staff break rooms can greatly help ease their stresses and have rest whenever need be. There could also be a spacious employee lounge with a kitchen for a full recharge.
- Include Biophilic Elements
What exactly are biophilic elements? Living things! Include plants around your medical spaces as they help create a calmer environment. Make sure they are not risky plants such as cactuses as someone might accidentally hurt themselves.
- Outline Your Spaces
As medical offices can be varying in size, larger ones may need clearer indicators for visitors and patients to know which spaces they are walking into. Use colours and other design elements that can help differentiate one space from another. For example, in the children’s ward, include brighter colours and soft toys. Interactive boards to encourage imagination are a plus too!
Create Your Medical Office Design With Us
With these top 10 medical office interior design ideas, we hope they could inspire or set you into motion on how you can plan your next medical office fit-outs. Designers and doctors alike all want to create a space that puts the patient’s mind and body at ease upon entering.
Together with Office Fitout Professionals, your medical office design ideas could come to life. Our experts are more than equipped and ready to help get your medical office fit-out to your liking, or even better. Do drop us an enquiry today or better yet, give us a call.