Torn furniture, metal seating and flickering lights are all signs of an abandoned waiting room. Except it isn’t actually abandoned. Every day patients file into these areas to be serviced by top-of-the-line healthcare professionals. Sometimes this is the first impression they get of your practice – wouldn’t you want it to be as positive as possible?
Making the most of your space through simple and unique redesigns can change the entire atmosphere in your office. It benefits both you and your patients for them to be as comfortable as possible while they wait.
What can you do about it?
Option 1: Connect your office to the community
If you own a private practice, you are directly tied to the community you serve. And even if you don’t, people crave a local connection. Show off how your practice relates to the local community by hanging a bulletin board filled with handouts and materials promoting different events in town. Especially if this promotes healthy living! You could also partner with a local artist to sell their artwork in your office. This would offer both a new style of decor and a connection to a member in the community.
Option 2: Make waiting active and enjoyable
Just because a patient is in the waiting room does not mean they should be bored out of their mind. Rather than just staring at the clock, stimulation – in some form or another – makes sitting in one place far less monotonous. Most practices provide magazines or newspapers to their patients. This is a great start. However, if you can afford them, iPads tethered to the furniture could be an innovative next step. Games, publications and other applications can be downloaded and monitored on these devices to entertain those waiting. Free WiFi should also be in your office, making the iPad investment that much more plausible.
Some offices could utilize a retail section. Optometrists and dermatologists normally have this – selling eyewear and lotions – but other specialties could benefit from it just as much! Evaluate what you sell to your patients and see if this is something that could assist both parties.
Option 3: Evaluate your furniture and layout
We’ve all been in the dimly lit waiting room with outdated furniture and a stained carpet. This isn’t exactly the ideal doctor’s office experience. When it comes to the decor and layout of your waiting room, you don’t want to follow the typical row upon row of antimicrobial chairs. Consider focusing on a more customized approach. For the families coming to your office, try having chairs surrounding a table for a more collaborative feel. Professionals would benefit from having quiet areas where they can get work done while waiting for care. Rather than children running rampant through your waiting room, designate a corner for them to play and talk without bothering everyone around them. Healthcare doesn’t always go as planned. Make sure your patients are comfortable while they wait for your service.
Overall, you don’t want the waiting room of your practice to feel like the inside of a hospital, sterile and unwelcoming. Patients are expecting and deserve an environment that makes them feel relaxed.
That’s where we come in.
As local experts in the Indianapolis area, Commercial Office Environments is ready to transform your waiting room into a stimulating, innovative space that your patients don’t dread visiting. With state-of-the-art designs and high-quality furniture, we are excited to work with you to take your workplace from unwaitable to unbelievable.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can we combine our creative ideas, proactive approaches, and unparalleled expertise to provide customized design solutions for your office.