It's clear that newly designed hospitals with hotel-like perks increase patient satisfaction and traffic. Measuring before and after costs and outcomes shows that they can.

Fewer Infections

Hospital-acquired infections continue to plague hospitals. They occur in about 30% of patients in intensive care units (ICUs), leading to substantial illness and fatalities. Successful results across a variety of studies regarding private patient rooms, seen historically as a luxurious amenity, are now a standard.

Therapeutic Benefits

Studies using clinical data, showed that patients with tree views had "shorter postoperative hospital stays, fewer negative evaluative comments from nurses, took fewer moderate-to-strong analgesic doses, and had slightly lower scores for minor postsurgical complications."

Today, many hospitals feature gardens of various types, and their impact on care has been studied more rigorously. One study reports that 95% of people who walk through hospital gardens report a therapeutic benefit from simply being in them. Contact with nature not only speeds patient healing, it also helps family members and hospital staff more effectively deal with the stress of providing care. And that enables them to better serve their recovering loved ones and patients.

When hospitals provide easy access to nature, patients, employees and family members can all enjoy the benefit it provides including reduced stress, reduced blood pressure, reduced pain and increased pain tolerance, faster recovery times, and a pleasant escape from stressful situations.

Reduced Pain

The design of environments inside clinical settings has also demonstrated positive impact on patient outcomes, particularly for children. Some studies showed that after surgery, children who listened to music or a story of their own choosing for 30 minutes reduced their pain score compared to the children who listened to nothing. Because children suffer more side effects of pain medication such as trouble breathing and nausea than adults, reducing the amount of medicine administered to kids can have a positive impact on outcomes as well as cost of care.

Shorter Hospital Stays

When many people think of hospital design and its impact, they often believe it's a superficial, touchy-feely, and subjective endeavour. But there are numerous examples throughout the world that have demonstrated with clinical data that design has a measurable, desirable impact on clinical outcomes and cost. These evidence-based designs have saved lives, reduced pain, improved clinical outcomes, and made less painful (and even provided some delight during) some of the most difficult moments in people's lives.

(*Internet Source Excerpt: 2018 Harvard Business School Publishing. Harvard Business Publishing is an affiliate of Harvard Business School).

Architectural Signs have been providing Amenities Signage as well other hospital signage for over 30 years.

For more information on creating effective signage and engraving services for your health organisation or company you can contact Architectural Signs on 9680 2151 or www.arcsigns.com.au.

Architectural Signs has continued to strive to be innovative and customer focused to such an extent that we are now recognised as one of Australia's largest trade engravers. We have been providing engraving and signage solutions since 1979 including outdoor, reception, awards, vehicle signs and braille. See video: www.spec-net.com.au/press/0412/arc_250412.htm.