Making waiting as painless as possible for patients

Practice Management. By Julie A. Jacob, amednews staff. March 25, 2002.

PRACTICE MANAGEMENT

A column about keeping your practice in good health

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First impressions do count. Accurately or not, people form their opinions of a person or place based on what they see in the first few seconds.

And what's the first thing that patients see when they walk into a physician's office?

The waiting room.

That's why it's important that it's a comfortable, pleasant place.

Physicians often don't think about how the waiting room looks because it's a part of the office that they usually don't enter, said Rayne Sherman, a partner with Sherman Gabus Inc., an interior design and architecture firm in Long Beach, Calif., that has designed several physician offices.

However, how comfortable and relaxed patients feel in the waiting room influences their perceptions of the type of care they will receive before they even step foot into the examining room.

"The first impression the patient has of the practice and how the practice wishes to be thought of is portrayed in the thoughtfulness of the waiting room," said Sherman.

A pleasant waiting room will also help patients relax before they see the doctor, pointed out Ivan Beardsley, a principal with Beardsley Weiss LLC, an interior design firm in Los Angeles that designs medical offices. Going to the doctor can be stressful, he said, but a pleasant, calming waiting room can help ease their patients' jitters.

"We believe the healing process begins by the overall atmosphere of the office," said Beardsley. "We can make people feel better by a destination that is comforting and inviting."

A waiting room that looks like a bus station with uncomfortable chairs and harsh lighting will give patients the impression that the physicians in the practice don't care about their patients' comfort, said Sherman.

While some things about the waiting room can't be changed, such as the size and shape of the room -- or, in some cases where physicians rent space, the carpeting or lighting -- there are several things that can be done to make the space more inviting and comfortable.

Seating

The chairs should be comfortable and easy for patients to get out of, said Beardsley. Chairs that are too low are difficult for older people, especially, to rise out of.

He also suggested chairs be clustered around the room instead of pushed back against the walls.

In addition it's important that there's enough space between the chairs so patients don't feel like their personal space is being invaded, said Sherman.

Lighting

Most office buildings have harsh overhead fluorescent lighting. Although the lighting itself often cannot be changed, the plastic prism lenses covering the lights can be replaced by egg crate lenses that soften and diffuse the light, suggested Sherman.

In addition, other types of lighting -- recessed lighting, table lamps or halogen lights -- can add interesting variation, said Beardsley.

Colors are a matter of personal taste, said the two designers. Waiting rooms don't have to be limited to white or beige walls. Strong colors such as red or cobalt blue can be used as furniture colors or accents on the wall. Different colors can be used effectively in different types of practices, said Beardsley. For example, bright colors add visual stimulation to an ophthalmologist's office, while soft, muted colors create a soothing atmosphere for a busy family physician's office.

Pictures and wall art

Pictures and art add to the ambiance of a waiting room. While the type displayed is a matter of personal taste, one common mistake that many physicians make when designing their waiting rooms is to hang medical artwork, such as diagrams of the body, on the walls of the waiting room, both designers said.

"The doctors can have educational materials in the examining room, but to decorate with it is incredibly boring," said Beardsley.

Reception counter

Although the physician may not be able to alter the position of the reception counter if leasing office space, it is an important area to consider when a doctor is having his or her office designed or built from scratch.

The trend is toward an open reception area, instead of the old-fashioned receptionist's desk with glass partitions that divide it from the waiting room, said Sherman.

"That's kind of like doing business with an unfriendly teller at the bank," said Sherman.

However, because patients may want to talk privately about insurance and billing matters, it's a good idea to have a separate alcove or area where patients can talk discreetly to the receptionist or billing clerk.

Beardsley also suggested that the reception counter have separate areas for patient check-in and checkout to minimize confusion and milling around the reception counter.

Sound

Many waiting rooms, especially pediatrician and general practice offices, can become quite noisy.

Carpeting and textural elements on the walls and ceilings are good sound absorbers, Beardsley said.

Whether to have music or a radio playing in the waiting room is a matter of personal taste, said Sherman. "Music is always a good thing, but you need to pick something middle-of-the-road. Certainly cutting-edge isn't what you want to do."

If physicians in a medical practice want to redesign their waiting room, Beardsley and Sherman suggested that they hire an interior designer to do a consultation, which costs around $300 to $400. They recommended hiring an interior designer who has experience specifically in designing medical offices.

Jacob served as a staff writer for AMNews from 1996 to 2002.