For something so intangible, light and sound play a pivotal role in how inpatient visitors, patients, and staff feel when they’re in a hospital. Here’s why it matters, and how to improve both.
When I think of healthcare design, a quote from Maya Angelou often comes to mind: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Few places activate intense feelings like a hospital.
A hospital visit triggers an array of emotions in patients and their families – many of which are less than warm and fuzzy. In fact, the experience can be sensory overload. Unfamiliar sights and sounds envelop them as they enter and interact in the building. While great care is put into the physical design of a space to supplant negative impressions, there are also intangible elements that play an equally important role in how patients, guests, and staff feel: the light and sound. Both are important in support of physical healing and mental well being.
The inpatient room is a great space to examine this. When you enter a patient room, you rarely focus on the light and sound – unless they’re particularly bad – because there’s a general acceptance that lighting is what it is, and that hospitals are inherently noisy environments. Unfortunately, that mindset can have a dramatic effect on the health and wellbeing of both patients and clinical staff. They should never be underestimated. Here’s why.
The sights and sounds of a hospital are often overwhelming for patients
Let There be Light
Lighting design integrates both artificial and natural light. Well-designed lighting that mimics natural daylight patterns can support the synchronization of patients' circadian rhythms, which promote physiological processes, natural repair mechanisms, and immune function.
And beyond the benefits to patient and clinical staff wellbeing, proper lighting increases visibility and reduces hazards. Well-lit spaces promote infection control by aiding in the identification and removal of potential contaminants. Ideal lighting levels minimize the risk of trips, falls, and other accidents for patients, caregivers, and visitors. This is especially important for elderly and geriatric patients who need more light due to yellowing of their lenses as they age (Salvi, Akhtar and Currie 2006).
Here's how DesignGroup optimizes lighting in patient settings and why it makes a difference.
Light Temperature: A light’s color (also known as temperature), along with its color rendering index (CRI), is important for both proper viewing of the patient and reduced eye strain during detailed work. Color temperature around 4000K is ideal as it is considered “natural light” by color reference scales (Rock 2023). Natural light promotes bright spaces with clarity and consistency. More importantly, this color temperature also blends well with daylight that enters windows in the patient room.
Controls: Controlling light is just as crucial for patients to heal within their spaces as it is for clinical teams to perform their tasks. Within the room, patient function lights can allow for both patient and family to adjust lighting needs simply and easily by selecting a pre-set control, such as exam, reading, ambient, etc. Combining these pre-set controls with different light zones within the room means a patient can sleep, a family member can read, and a clinical team member can administer medication all with appropriate lighting levels.
Shades: Just as artificial lighting controls are important, so are controls for daylighting. Providing dual shades with both a small weave and a blackout option means patients and family can choose the appropriate light for the moment. Allowing daylight to reach a patient can help the healing process and decrease length of stay; studies have shown that proximity to windows in a multi-patient room meant a reduced LOS (length of stay) for patients closest to the windows (Park, et al. 2018).
Large windows provide natural light to patient rooms at Norton Brownsboro Hospital
Lowering the Volume
Hospitals can be incredibly noisy spaces. Between patients and their amenities, collaboration at nurse stations, overhead paging, and medical equipment alarms, this cacophony can be detrimental to patient and staff health alike. A study found that at times, hospital noise can peak to 85 decibels A (dBA), exceeding the noise level of heavy traffic (Joseph and Ulrich 2007). Gentle and soothing sounds can create a tranquil space, reducing stress and anxiety levels while masking disruptive equipment noises.
Types of Sound: While lowering volume is important, masking sounds can also promote healing. Allowing patients to choose from different masking sounds (such white or brown noise, nature sounds, or even their favorite radio station) can impact them positively. Music in particular has been shown to reduce stress, heart rate, and blood pressure by reducing the production of cortisol, and specific favorite songs or artists can positively affect the pleasure center of the brain (Shapiro 2022).
Sounds and Staff: While we often think of noise reduction for the patients’ benefit, it’s easy to overlook the effect it has on clinical staff. With already increasing concerns for provider and staff burnout in the healthcare industry, sound, particularly with alarms, is yet another contributing factor. A recent article of collected research showed that medical alarms (pumps, ventilators, etc.), even for innocuous events such as rate change, can lead to medical errors and fatigue (Jawadi and Chern 2023). Designing to prevent an accumulation of sounds on staff can help them respond more appropriately when an alarm does sound indicating immediate need of medical attention.
In every healthcare project, DesignGroup explores opportunities for thoughtful integration of lighting and sound to enhance the overall sensory experience for both patients and caregivers. It’s vital for reducing stress, burnout, and errors, and increasing healing, positivity, and overall well being. Next time you’re in a hospital, think about the ways these intangibles affect your own emotional and physical state and of those around you.
References
Jawadi, Zina, and Alexander Chern. 2023. "Hospitals are noisy. They don’t have to be." Association of American Medical Colleges. 08 10. Accessed 04 23, 2024. https://www.aamc.org/news/hospitals-are-noisy-they-don-t-have-be#:~:text....
Joseph, Anjali, and Roger Ulrich. 2007. "Sound Control for Improved Outcomes in Healthcare Settings." The Center for Healthcare Design (4): 1-17. https://www.healthdesign.org/sites/default/files/Sound%20Control.pdf.
Park, Man Young, Choul-Gyun Chai, Hae-Kyung Lee, Hani Moon, and Jai Sung Noj. 2018. "The Effects of Natural Daylight on Length of Hospital Stay." Environmental Health Insights Volume 12: 1-7. doi:10.1177/1178630218812817.
Rock, Garrett. 2023. "Improving Healthcare with Human-Centric Lighting." Insights by Alcon Lighting.November 8. Accessed 04 23, 2024. https://www.alconlighting.com/blog/lighting-design/improving-healthcare-....
Salvi, S M, S Akhtar, and Z Currie. 2006. "Ageing changes in the eye." Postgrad Med 82: 581-587. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2585730/pdf/581.pdf.
Shapiro, Marc. 2022. "Harnessing the Healing Power of Music." Johns Hopkins Medicine. 08 31. Accessed 04 23, 2024. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/articles/2022/08/harnessing-the-hea....
