Practice facilities: Waiting room

Do you want to renovate or redesign your medical practice?

7 helpful tips, tricks and inspirations for furnishing your waiting room

Even with the best planning, waiting times cannot be completely avoided. The waiting room therefore becomes an important link between reception and treatment room. A well-designed waiting room can make it easier for your patients to arrive, relax, and mentally prepare for their treatment.

Here's how to design your waiting area optimally:

Tip 1: Show appreciation

• Patients today want to be treated like guests, cared for and looked after at every stage of their visit. Transform your waiting area into a haven of well-being and convey your appreciation to your patients through your services. Often, it's the small, unexpected touches that make all the difference. Offer water, tea, or coffee, for example.

• An interesting selection of newspapers and magazines is essential. Tailor this to your patients' preferences and update it regularly to keep it current and appealing. Forgot your reading glasses? Surprise your patients with a pair you keep on hand.

• Besides reading magazines, browsing or streaming the internet is the most popular pastime for many patients in the waiting room. Free Wi-Fi can be a welcome option. Make sure you clearly communicate the access details in the waiting room.

Tip 2: Receive

Upon entering the practice, the question arises: Where to put my coat, umbrella, and shopping? Plan for a sufficiently large cloakroom near the entrance or in the waiting room. That way, the first hurdle is overcome!

Tip 3: Relax

• Avoid rows of identical chairs along the walls. This looks unimaginative and uninviting. Create variety with different seating arrangements. This allows each patient to relax or sit more formally as they wish.

• Use different color schemes for the seating and remember to include side tables where you can conveniently place a water bottle, for example.

Tip 4: Enable privacy

• Many people find it uncomfortable to share a room with many strangers. Why not create a little more privacy? A beautiful flower box creates distance between seating areas and offers a bit of privacy at the same time.

• In a very large waiting room, it is advisable to divide it into different areas. This can be achieved, for example, with a series of planters. It is best to choose low-maintenance hydroponic plants or plants with very low water and light requirements.

• Alternatively , sideboards can also be used as room dividers. They also serve as storage or display furniture.

• Separating the room with a glass wall also serves as sound insulation. This allows, for example, the optimal integration of a parent-child room.

Tip 5: Children's play area

• A children's corner should be a standard feature in every waiting room, as waiting in unfamiliar surroundings is particularly difficult for young children. Child-friendly furniture and activities should be part of the basic equipment.

Tip 6: Light, Lighting & Color

• A relaxing lighting atmosphere helps make waiting times more pleasant. Natural and warm light from various light sources creates a comfortable and inviting atmosphere. Windows should therefore ideally have the option to regulate the amount of sunlight entering the room.

• If the waiting room has no windows or if the windows do not provide sufficient light, wall, ceiling, and floor lamps should be used. Ceiling lights provide adequate general lighting, while wall and floor lamps accentuate the room. In any case, the waiting room should be bright enough for patients to read comfortably and without eye strain.

• Subtle colors remain the classic choice for designing a doctor's office . But why always be so reserved? Why not decorate one wall in the waiting room with something exciting and thus shorten the waiting time?

Tip 7: Cleanliness & Order

• Your waiting room is your business card. It must always appear clean, hygienic, tidy, and comfortable. Train your staff accordingly and ask your patients for feedback.

• Choose easy-care, durable, and hygienic surfaces for your furniture. Since waiting rooms are high-traffic areas, the furnishings are subject to heavy wear and tear.

• Ensure maximum patient satisfaction with simple tricks. Satisfied patients return and are also the best marketing tool for your practice. You can achieve this, for example, with perfectly coordinated modular furniture systems .

• Inform your patients about your services. Present them on your practice website. Use displays at reception and in the waiting area.

• Greet your patients in the waiting room. It's a nice gesture. This way, your patients won't feel neglected or forgotten.