The architecture and design of your medical clinic matter more than you may realize. It’s not just about the healthcare provided at your clinic. The experiences your patients have are shaped before they even walk in your doors. It starts the moment your medical clinic comes into view.
That’s why the architecture and design phase of constructing your clinic should be as important to you as staffing your clinic will be. There are three design aspects to consider that will significantly impact your patients’ experiences. Those aspects are exterior, entrance, and interior design.
Exterior Design
Exterior design refers to the outside of your medical clinic. You should have an organic design with plenty of windows in an easy-to-access, public location. By organic, we mean that the building should match its environment. You don’t want it to blend in, to the point of being invisible, but it should look natural in its location.
As for accessibility, we recommend avoiding remote locations or dirt roads. Easily accessible locations in the main part of your city or town near public transportation are the best option. You want patients to be able to seek medical treatment as quickly and conveniently as possible.
You’ll want to let plenty of natural sunlight in during the day, so have the building designed at the correct angle to achieve that. Being exposed to sunlight, even when you’re inside, is a good benefit for patients and employees alike.
You should also have open public access so that patients can gather together. While some patients might stick to themselves, for others, interactions can make a trip to the doctor easier to handle.
Entrance Design
The architecture and design of the entrance to your medical clinic are the next aspects to consider. You want the entrance to be warm and welcoming, encouraging patients to come in. Hopefully, it will also relieve their anxiety to a degree. Many patients seeking care are reluctant to do so because they have had bad experiences in the past.
The following tips should help:
- Have one main entry point. This will reduce your patients’ confusion if they’ve never been to your clinic. Difficulty finding a doctor’s office, especially if you’re running late for your appointment, can cause severe anxiety for many patients.
- Have multiple check-in options. These days, most providers offer online check-in, allowing you to bypass the front desk entirely. This is great for anxious individuals who don’t want to interact with others in an office setting. Other check-in options include self-serve kiosks and checking in at the front desk. Sometimes a friendly face is just what someone needs.
- The entrance should be very visible as you approach the building. You want to guide your patients to the correct location. You can use trees or awnings to direct them to the right place.
- Have a spacious lobby. Feeling claustrophobic is the last thing you want your visitors to feel. A spacious lobby gives everyone a little space to themselves, which can help them feel more comfortable.
- Have comfortable furniture. While folding chairs are your cheapest option, they’re the most uncomfortable ones you could go with; we recommend having comfortable chairs and couches throughout your lobby. Don’t just stick with one type of chair, either. Variety will help your patients feel more relaxed since everyone has their own taste.
- Include nature artwork. Plain, white walls are not ideal. We recommend having paintings and artwork that include scenes from nature. This will make your medical clinic feel less sterile and more homey.
Interior Design
You want future patients to feel comfortable the entire time they’re in your medical clinic, which is why the interior architecture and design matter just as much as the exterior and entrance. You want your interior design to provide an environment where you feel calm. This kind of environment can help a patient heal faster.
To achieve this kind of interior design, you’ll want:
- Comfortable materials, including all furniture and bedding. You’ll want stain-resistant, soft-to-the-touch materials. This will increase the comfort of your patients. They want to be able to relax in their environment.
- Natural daylight; there are proven health benefits to having natural daylight throughout your medical clinic, including patient rooms.
- Walls with light colors; light color schemes make a room feel cleaner and reflect light, further increasing the natural light in the room.
- Natural colors that remind you of nature; colors such as sky blue, forest green, or mahogany brown will add a soothing feel to your medical clinic.
- Clean lines; you don’t want unnecessary clutter anywhere in your medical clinic. It will distract your patients. Keeping a consistent theme with similar textures will help. You want your medical clinic to be inviting without being messy.
SCGWest Is Your Turnkey Solution
There’s a lot that goes into the architecture and design of your medical clinic. It might feel like more than you can take on, or it might be something you don’t have time for. That’s where we come in. SCGWest is your turnkey solutions company for your medical clinic – and not just during the architecture and design phases. We’ll be there every step of the way if you’ll let us.
SCGWest can be there from the start, but we can also jump in at any point during the process. We have the team you’re looking for to carry your project through to completion.
From due diligence and identifying the scope of work to design and engineering to construction and FFE, we’ll have your back during every step. Your medical clinic will be ready before you know it. We develop highly-specialized facilities that cater to the unique needs and intricacies of the healthcare industry with a specific patient focus.
We believe in actively involving all our clients throughout the process through weekly conference calls, status reports, task items, document collection, and detailed close-out packets.
Unlike turnkey solution companies that lock you in for an entire contract, you can choose to part ways with us after a milestone or phase is complete, giving you freedom and control over the architecture and design of your medical clinic.
Contact us today for more information. Let SCGWest be your turnkey solutions company!
