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Have you ever rearranged the furniture in your living room? If you have, then you know that just a few key layout changes can entirely alter the way that a space looks and feels. In the same vein, changing the makeup of a medical facility can have a big effect on patient satisfaction and employee productivity. With that in mind, today we’ll look at five tips that you can use to create the ideal medical office layout for your clinic. Check them out here:
Size & Spacing
Some medical facilities may host hundreds of patients in a single day. Other, smaller doctor’s offices may only see a dozen or so patients visit in a 12-hour period. Obviously, designers should take clinic size into account when they create a medical office floor plan. Facilities that expect a high volume of patients will naturally require larger waiting rooms, more exam rooms, and more amenities. The first step to creating a productive layout is to determine spatial needs.
Traffic Flow
No one likes backtracking. Patients don’t like having to walk from one end of a facility to another just to have an exam, and professionals especially dislike having to retrace their steps to complete a task. Not only does unintuitive layout create unnecessary backtracking, but it can also cause congestion and even human traffic jams that contribute to further delays. A good office layout sends traffic in one direction and lets employees and patients cycle back as needed.
Complementary Design
Where a room is positioned in a workspace is just as important as how it’s designed. For instance, a professional may do an excellent job designing an employee bathroom, but it shouldn’t be located right next to an examination room. Rather, the decision to place one room next to another should be done carefully, and the overall layout should enable complementary design.
Prioritize Every Room
While it’s crucial for medical professionals to cater to the needs and expectations of their patients, medical office design shouldn’t neglect the needs of employees. Indeed, the layout and design of an employee break room is just as vital to the success of a medical facility as a high-visibility waiting room. Neglecting an area of your clinic could generate problems for your staff, and ultimately, negatively affect patient experience.
Lastly, some medical clinics are designed to ensure uniformity. Exam rooms that are laid out in the exact same way can help professionals find items they need quickly –– no matter where they are.
Emphasize Privacy
Unfortunately, medical facilities can set patients on edge –– even if they have no legitimate reason to be nervous. The good news is, the more private and welcoming examination rooms are, the more at ease patients will be. Additionally, the best medical clinics afford their team members plenty of spaces to unwind and catch their breath in privacy. After all, many medical professionals work long hours, and they need break rooms and spaces where they can “switch off.”
Final Thoughts
At Key Interiors, we have years of experience working with dentists, doctors, and medical professionals to deliver interior office design solutions. Regardless of the size of your clinic, we can help you improve patient satisfaction and employee efficiency through enhanced office design. Contact our team here to get started. Or, for more information about our process, check out our free eBook by clicking here.
