HOSPITAL WAITING ROOM. SEATING, CHAIRS AND ENVIRONMENT

Hospital waiting rooms are places visited by thousands of people throughout the year. They are essential areas in most medical centres and should be optimally equipped. There are few things sadder than entering a hospital waiting room with bare walls and uncomfortable, lame chairs.

It should be borne in mind that users are likely to spend quite a few hours in the waiting room, especially if we are talking about the emergency area of a hospital. Given that the situation is not pleasant for anyone, it is best to condition the room to make the wait a little more bearable.

At DESMON we are manufacturers of furniture for waiting rooms in hospitals, doctors’ surgeries and health centres. Thanks to our experience, which exceeds 50 years, we have identified a series of pieces that are essential in these spaces. With this post we want to share this information with you. If you are responsible for purchasing or a member of the health centre management team, take note of these ideas for hospital waiting rooms.

When setting up a hospital waiting room, it is not just a matter of finding a corner and putting 4 chairs in it. It is always necessary to think about the user, who can be a family member or a patient waiting to be seen. There are different possibilities and it is important to put yourself in the place of each of them.

Undoubtedly, waiting room chairs are essential, but it is important to choose the right model. In addition, other factors must also be taken into account to make the environment more comfortable. Let’s go over them.

Firstly, it is advisable to adapt the dimensions of the hospital waiting room to the number of users who are going to use it. In this case, and in the healthcare sector, it is always advisable to err on the side of excess rather than defect.

Thus, it is necessary to have a large space where waiting room seating can be located. The size must be sufficient to be able to move around comfortably and not disturb other people who are seated when a user or patient wants to get up. It is always a good option to include a mirror to multiply the feeling of space.

Secondly, hospital waiting rooms should be well lit. Sufficient light is necessary to be able to consult documents, admission papers or possible written instructions from the doctor. If natural light is available, it should be filtered by blinds or shutters. When it comes to artificial light, the best option is LED technology.

Comfort is important in hospital and clinic waiting rooms. In addition to the quality of the seating, which will be discussed later, the room must be well conditioned. The hospital floor must be safe and non-slip. The decoration of the space should include light colours that are in harmony with each other. It is also advisable to avoid as many divisions as possible in order to have an open space rather than small and cramped ones. This will provide a warm, welcoming area that conveys a sense of calm. This last point is essential when waiting for news about the patient’s condition.

Of course, chairs are a staple in any hospital waiting room. Anyone who has ever been to a hospital emergency department knows that waiting times can be many hours long. For this reason, it is necessary that the chairs and seats in the waiting room are comfortable and meet certain conditions.

Waiting benches are usually the most commonly used structure in these waiting areas. They are pieces of 3, 4 or 5 seats fixed on a metal bar that provide a smooth surface that is pleasant to the touch. At DESMON we have very resistant models that can withstand continuous daily use.

They can be manufactured in laminated beech wood or polypropylene in a wide range of colours. It is important that they are well fixed to the floor and do not move or limp on any leg. They should be wide enough to accommodate all types of people and, if possible, have armrests.

Hospital waiting room seating should be comfortable, robust, functional and timeless in design. This last factor will make it easier for them to be used for years and still fit in the environment.

If armchairs or sofas are chosen, they should be no deeper than 60 cm. This will make it easy to sit down and stand up and provide a good posture that will probably have to be maintained for hours.

Finally, if you opt for chairs with upholstery, it is important that it is breathable and cool. It is also very important that they are easy to clean and disinfect.

Before concluding, we would like to refer to those hospital waiting rooms where long treatments are received. We are talking, for example, about oncology wards where patients receive chemotherapy treatments.

These are often treatments lasting several hours and comfortable seating is a must. This helps to reduce the stress created by the situation and lightens the emotional load. Therefore, straight, hard chairs should not be used and it is better to opt for soft seats. In addition, it is also advisable to provide the patient with some space for personal belongings.

Statistics show that the pre-treatment oncology visit usually lasts about 9 minutes. On the other hand, the post-treatment visit can last 5 or 6 hours. Thus, there is a need for comfortable and welcoming waiting room seating.

At DESMON we have accumulated a lot of experience in the design of waiting rooms. We have developed projects in hospitals and clinics with very good results. If you need more information, please contact us for a customised quote.

Our team is in charge of the design, manufacture and assembly of all our hospital waiting room chairs. We will offer you solutions to create a welcoming, friendly and comfortable space for patients and their families.