Today’s health care is patient-centric and the focus is on patient satisfaction. Bearing this fact in mind, hospitals and clinics are working towards creating patient friendly environments which understand the emotional and mental needs of the patients. This also helps in building a trusted brand name amongst the community where healthcare is equivalent to human care. Gone are the days when hospitals were compared to prisons and considered depressing and frightening. A positive and comfortable environment mentally uplifts a patient’s spirit and enables rapid healing.
A patient always enters such medical setups with some anxiety, preconceived notion or fears, which can make the patient’s experience depressingly unforgettable. To avoid this and reduce stress levels experienced by an already ailing patient, a good ambience along with some interaction and communication with the patients can help the patient forget his fears and anxieties. As a patient spends more time outside than meeting the physician, the ambience plays an important role in keeping the patient comfortable.
Radical changes have been taking place in healthcare systems, top most being the delivery of healthcare and medical ambience setup to improve patient satisfaction, staff and overall working of the institution. Patient outcomes and efficiency of staff greatly improve and the market value also reaps its benefits.
Positive distractions in delivering quality medical care
The ambience and physical settings are probably the first impression the hospital creates on a patient and is often a key factor in the patient’s judgement of the setup. Changes in health care designs are positive therapeutic distractions which definitely help in delivery of healthcare. They help in the following way:
- Patient experience and outcomes– A soothing ambience not only enhances patient experience, but also leads to a better outcome. Patients are provided an environment similar to their homes and this prevents them from feeling alienated. Patients are treated as an individual and not a disease condition. Serene and calm surroundings can relax otherwise stressful situations. Patients are more involved in their own treatment and are more comfortable and the overall medical experience becomes less intimidating.
- Physician role– Owing to their workload and tight schedules, clustered and dull surroundings can pose as obstacles in providing good health care. A neat and nicely designed room can help improve the working environment, uplift the mood and attention, and thereby make clinical practice more fulfilling and mentally more peaceful and satisfying.
- Staff control- Working and effectiveness of staff increases manifold and due to improved patient and staff interaction, there is increased staff satisfaction and staff retention.
- Positive therapeutic distractions– Including nature in your medical practice can prove to be very useful in healing. Paintings on nature or aquariums can be very soothing and calming.
- Hospital management– Improved workflow and brand name is created in the market. Due to patient satisfaction, a trusted name builds in the community which helps to increase revenues and helps in providing world class medical care.
Integrated health care
Recently, along with providing fantastic medical care, other complementary therapies are also being delivered in various hospitals to ensure patients’ complete wellbeing. Medical care is now shifting its focus to being more patient oriented and holistic in approach. Good medical ambiance is vital for delivering good health care.
Contributed by Dr. Rachita Narsaria, MD
REFERENCES
- Michael Marks Davis; Andrew Robert Warner. Dispensaries, Their Management and Development: A Book for Administrators, Public Health Workers, and All Interested in Better Medical Service for the People. MacMillan. 1918;pp. 2–3.
- Annmarie Adams, Medicine by Design: The Architect and the Modern Hospital. 2009;1893–1943