“Success is in the details.” – Steve Jobs

Not all interior materials are created equal. While there is always a flood of new materials that enter the market, there is always a question of suitability or appropriateness whenever designers and owners select the finishes that end up in any medical interior spaces. One consideration is the medical rating of the material. It’s not a small consideration, it may even be the highest one come to think of it. Why it matters and how it can impact your practice to become better is what we plan to lay down in the list below:

Health and Safety

• Materials and finishes can influence your workflow and can even affect your patient’s well-being.
• Always look into the integrity of materials from their composition, manufacturing, and even their effects post-installation.
• Medical ratings are a way to identify materials from their composition, fabrication, and performance. Knowing their composition enables the users to know if there are harmful substances used in their creation that can interact with the users over time.
• Toxicity is a consideration that especially has to deal with chemical-based materials like plastics or paints. Full examination not just of the initial product but its performance over a given period of time can determine if they can break down and leech off their components parts while in use.
• Materials must be examined not just on appearance or cost. Its eventual lifespan must be subject to evaluation if they pose any threat or if they require periodic retouches, maintenance, or outright replacement.
• Safety also frames the materials inquiry with their suitability or appropriateness. Is it the right material for the right job? This questions if a material is going to function as expected and will not fail easily to cause accidents.
• Steel and other metals are meant to be of a certain thickness to measure up against their intended uses. When used as railings to assist patients, they need to be structurally solid.

Durability

• Durability is meant to determine if materials will retain their quality against expected medical uses. Materials must have the durability to withstand wear and tear but comparing them to medical use is comparing them to more rigorous demands.
• Non-skid flooring like medical grade linoleum has traction and hardness qualities that react better to elevated levels of foot walking and wheel traffic like equipment and gurneys.
• Surfaces must be rated to withstand constant disinfection too – the likes are more industrial strength than the average homes are normally subjected to.
• Durability also is meant to demand that materials do not break down easily to prevent accidents and harm. Securing these materials through adhesives or fasteners must also be defined clearly so that they don’t unceremoniously peel or break off.

Aiming for Excellence

• Aside from having peace of mind about these materials, there’s an added benefit to making sure that you use medical-rated materials for any medical project. Having specifically rated materials for medical use increases your practice’s profile in terms of patient care, durability, and efficiency.
• Medical rating in tandem with environmental standards can also score your project points when applying for building accreditations. These certifying bodies have detailed categories and goals that measure your achievement contributing to your overall grade. By having all these certifications, you are meant to get more credits if you plan to apply for larger accreditation for medical spaces.
• In a nutshell, choosing the best materials for your medical space is a sign of excellence that can gain you more patients and earn their trust.

Our collective experiences with designing and building medical spaces all over the country are a testament to the detail we go into making high-performing and successful medical practices. This is our commitment to creating spaces that your patients will rave about and ones that you will be proud of. Book a complimentary design consultation with us today and let’s get it on building one of your own!