“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” – Winston Churchill

A medical practice that works on a world-class level must set goals that exceed expectations. We are going beyond basic and aiming for exceptional and as such we don’t just aim to change the patient experience, our aim is to transform lives through interior design. There lies an opportunity we will be discussing today where we can make the experience inviting, comfortable and relaxed for your patients– one that inspires trust in your capability and inspires lasting healing.

1. First impressions matter

   Putting your best foot forward is the key to a good first impression. Oftentimes, a medical visit elicits anxiety, dread, and even actual pain. Understanding this psychology already lays down the groundwork for how a medical space needs to address these unfavorable preconceptions. From the moment one enters the office, what do you want your patients to see and feel? Look through empathic eyes how weary patients can get and strive to provide a welcoming and comfortable space where they can seek attention and wait in comfort while waiting for care. Waiting connotes the dread of wasting time and reimagining the traditional waiting room to a Lounge Area already sets a more inviting tone where patients are meant not to wait but to relax in transition.

2. Delivering a branded experience

   Mind the visuals of the space, noting that your medical office interior design must be aligned with your online brand and that they are connected in your messaging. The practice is already the end of a trail that begins with an introduction from the brand online. Attract the patients that will go out of their way to experience what you bring to the table by making a branded experience that inspires comfort, trust, and loyalty.
   Your medical office interior design must follow through on the communication that your logo and your website are promising. If you position yourself as a high-end medical spa, for example, the brand and the interior design must be one cohesive messaging that reflects the sophistication and luxury that it has promised. If there is a disconnect between the two, you end up not delivering on any promise, leaving unsatisfied patients that feel like you are underdelivered. Set the expectations and deliver on the promise.

3. Joyful interiors inspire transformational healing

   Being intentional about your space is about taking control of the narrative you are conveying through your space. It will be very insightful if you work backward, looking at how the patient travels through the practice and defining each space by how you want your patients to perceive and feel while in these rooms. Do you want them to feel secure? Do you want them to feel comfortable? Do you want to make them feel joyful? Taking note of how you want to make them feel, it becomes almost instinctive how each room is going to be detailed and finished. It all goes back to making the right impression, where you will need to make the most impact that will mean the most to your patients. Making the entrance and the lounge really comfortable and inviting takes the weight off your weary patients coming in from the outside. Making the consult rooms really warm and cozy relaxes your patient to open up to discussions. Making the way back to check-out as simplified and uncluttered unloads a lot of stress from the visit and inspires healing towards a return to normal.

Does your medical interior inspire comfort? Does it drive your patients to go out of their way to be part of your experience? Does it do more than what is expected? If it doesn’t or you wish it does, contact us for a complimentary design consultation, and together let’s make truly healing spaces that elevates the patient experience.