When designing a new dental clinic or refurbishing your existing practice the health and safety of your patients and staff members should be your number one priority.
In this blog we will discuss the importance of good lighting and how it can reduce the risk of not only physical injury but also mental strain.
Whether you are a receptionist sitting at a desk, a patient filling out forms in a waiting room or a dentist/ dental nurse providing treatment in the surgery, the correct lighting plays a huge role in not only how you perform your job but also how you feel throughout your appointment.
There are many aspects to consider when discussing lighting options with your builder and how you can incorporate smart lighting in with your dental clinic design in order to provide good vision for staff members and create comfort for patients.
Create the right Ambience
These days there is a big focus on mental health and how we can create spaces that provide the right type of environment in order to make both staff members and patients feel safe, comfortable and at ease. This is something that we always consider during our dental clinic design process.
Some patients may be nervous or apprehensive before a dental appointment, especially young children, and staff members can also feel pressure and anxiety during busy periods.
By providing the correct lighting in your dental clinic design you are helping to create a happy working environment safe from the risk of severe mental strain.
Mental strain comes in different forms. Lack of appropriate lighting can cause eye strain, headaches and fatigue which in turn can generate not only an unproductive working environment but can also induce unnecessary stress in both staff members and patients.
Making Areas Safe
It’s no secret that a well lit area is a safe area.
It is important to incorporate the appropriate lighting within areas of your dental clinic design that are used for things like storage, amenities and even staff/ public parking areas.
Bad lighting is one of the main causes of trips and falls and therefore you are heavily reducing the rick of a staff member or patient injuring themselves within your premises if you provide them with good lighting.
If the area they are in is well lit they are far less likely to walk into any hazardous situations.
Sensor lights can be a huge benefit in areas such as public amenities or hallways that are not used on a regular basis. With the use of sensors lighting is only activated when required so you are also saving energy.
Correct Lighting Gets the Job Done
Not only do staff members and patients need good light, you as a dentist need the best lighting of all in order to do your job properly.
Make sure if you are handing over the specification side of things to your medical fit out company that they are across the required equipment for your particular dental clinic and have the right relationships in place with suppliers in order to get the best deal possible, while maintaining the quality you need.
As you can see when considering a new dental clinic design or refurbishing your existing practice it is important to consider every element and how it could potentially affect not only you and your staff but also your patients.
We know that good lighting is essential to any working environment and can help staff members perform tasks to their highest potential and in turn provide your patients with a comforting, calm environment.
