Design of Doctors’ Offices

Professional design of doctors’ offices creates a space for therapeutic cooperation and enhances the prestige of the clinic. In a trusting environment, patients are more confident and it is easier for them to make contact, and it is more convenient for a doctor to work in an ergonomic and orderly interior, where equipment and tools are always at hand, and maintaining cleanliness and order does not require effort. The Euromed-Bud company develops original projects for medical offices, in which everything is thought out and there is nothing superfluous: every detail speaks of your professionalism!

What should be considered when designing a doctor’s office?

When designing medical premises, the flight of the designer’s imagination is limited by sanitary and hygienic standards, but this does not mean that the premises will be devoid of individuality. On the contrary, the more successful the design of the doctor’s office, the fewer stereotypes that cause unpleasant associations: creative solutions arouse interest in patients and distract from depressing thoughts. Finding a balance between hygiene, aesthetics and functionality, meeting the customer’s budget and complying with the requirements of the law is not a task for mediocre minds!

How to decorate a doctor’s office?

The design of medical spaces requires flexibility, inventiveness and versatile skills, which is why a team of qualified specialists work on the design of medical offices. If you are an amateur, do not try to renovate and decorate the interior on your own – before doing anything, try to imagine the interior of your future office in all detail in order to clearly convey your ideas to the contractor.

Why develop medical offices?

The professional design of the doctor’s office is strictly individual; the project is developed on the basis of measurements and the master plan of a particular room. For the rational organization of medical care and maintaining hygiene in private clinics and offices, the following functional areas are distinguished:

• reception and waiting room;
• examination and treatment rooms;
• equipment and utility rooms;
• rooms for rest and changing clothes;
• toilets for employees and visitors.

When zoning a room, the location, footage and connection of offices are thought out, the arrangement and dimensions of furniture, lamps and equipment are planned, finishing materials are selected, and the location of utility lines is calculated. For massive structures to fit compactly into the interior and not interfere with cleaning and disinfection, the possibilities of saving usable space are thought out.

The engineering department is in charge of developing rational schemes for connecting electrical appliances, water supply, ventilation, heating and air conditioning systems, hidden wiring and pipe routing. Decorative accents in the right places help patients relax and smooth out discomfort and embarrassment from unpleasant medical manipulations. Based on the results of the work done, design estimate documentation is developed with specifications and 3D models, which gives clear instructions to the construction and assembly teams and allows you to get the office you want at the end.

Reception design

The reception serves as the public face of the business, so you shouldn’t skimp on it – the design should feel respectable, but it’s equally important that visitors feel at ease. Try not to locate the reception immediately at the entrance; it is better if the reception area is separated by a small corridor or vestibule that does not let in drafts and street noise.

To equip the administrator’s workplace, multi-level racks with hidden storage systems are selected – customers are unlikely to be pleased with the appearance of a cluttered table. Bright, but not flashy accents, natural textures and elegant decor give the room a cosy lived-in look. The performance characteristics of the materials are equally important: all surfaces must be highly resistant to wear and detergents.

Waiting room design

Waiting for a doctor’s appointment in a queue, many begin to worry, so measures should be taken to reduce anxiety when designing a waiting room. Offer your customers comfortable upholstered furniture with a back and armrests and provide an opportunity to switch to positive emotions. Quiet relaxing music, paintings and panels on the walls, fresh flowers, an aquarium, the latest press, board games and colouring books for kids – everything that helps to cope with stress without disturbing others is suitable.

In smaller clinics, waiting rooms are often combined with reception areas; so that visitors are not awkward, use angular and radial structures to fill niches and do not clutter passages up with furniture. Soft diffused lighting and light walls visually expand the space and maintain a calm and friendly atmosphere in the hall.

Requirements and recommendations for furnishing doctor’s offices

When choosing furniture for a medical office, give preference to materials that are easy to clean and are resistant to antiseptics and aggressive reagents. The design of examination chairs and couches should provide convenient access to the necessary parts of the body without causing inconvenience to the patient; the patient will certainly be satisfied if the upholstery is soft and pleasant to the touch. For manufacturing the furniture, it is allowed to use only hypoallergenic materials; the harmful components in the composition and the use of toxic paints and varnishes and polishes are unacceptable.

Adapting the interior to the needs of people with disabilities

To ensure that patients with disabilities can freely use medical services, create a safe and accessible environment in the clinic. It will be good to consult specialists in ergotherapy and rehabilitation, but for a start, it is enough to remove architectural obstacles for people with limited mobility:

• widen doorways and corridors;
• do not use slippery floor coverings;
• replace swing doors with sliding ones;
• install adaptive equipment – lifts, stairlifts, ramps, handrails in toilets;
• avoid structures with sharp corners;
• choose furniture with streamlined and rounded shapes.

The design of the doctor’s office – what should it be?

In the doctor’s office, a person feels vulnerable; to make a favourable impression on the patient, you need to make them feel comfortable and safe. Protect the patient’s personal space from intrusion: the door in the office should be locked, the places for changing clothes and intimate procedures are protected with screens, a separate closet should be equipped to store patients’ clothes and shoes, etc.

Artistic design is no less important: harmonious combinations of shapes, shades and textures have a beneficial effect on mood and well-being. Many are oppressed by the sterile purity of snow-white walls, and an excess of cold shades causes a feeling of cold and alienation. It is recommended to use soothing pastel colours, smooth colour transitions and warm natural shades; bright colours may be present as accent spots.

A restrained style harmonizes the room; so that modern equipment does not bring dissonance into the environment, focus on modern design trends. The range of solutions is not limited to high-tech and minimalism; elements of modern, loft, retro-futurism and neoclassic look stylish and impressive.

Requirements for the area of doctors’ offices

The norms for designing premises for private medical practice primarily affect the footage: the minimum area of a private doctor’s office is from 12 sq. meters; the minimum area of the general practitioner’s office is from 15 sq. meters. The minimum allowable area of a dental office with one chair is 12 sq. meters; with the installation of each new chair, another 8 sq. meters are added. The height of ceilings in medical rooms (from 3.1 meters) and the rules for the operation of medical institutions located in residential buildings are also regulated.

What does the design of a private doctor’s office look like in an apartment or a house?

Private doctors’ offices are located in separate rooms; an exception is made for specialists practising in their apartments, however, even in this case, a separate entrance is required to receive patients. To be eligible for private medical practice, the design of a house with a doctor’s office must meet three requirements:

• the doctor’s workplace is separated from the living area;
• premises for medical practice cannot be located in temporary buildings;
• medical premises are not allowed to be used for personal purposes.

Interior decoration of doctors’ offices in accordance with the regulations and rules

In the decoration of medical offices, moisture-resistant and non-combustible materials are used that are convenient for sanitization – chemically inert, resistant to abrasion and aggressive environments. For laying floors, non-slip coatings with a minimum number of seams that do not accumulate dust are selected: ceramic and porcelain tiles, linoleum, laminate, porcelain stoneware and self-levelling polymer floors.

The walls are painted with resistant latex paints, covered with decorative plaster, tiled or covered with waterproof wallpaper, stretch ceilings are installed. Walls from 60 to 160 cm high adjacent to the water intake points should be protected against splashes with strong and durable water-repellent materials without pores or seams.

Lighting in office interior design

The level of lighting affects the quality of medical care, the ability to long-term concentration and the psychological atmosphere in the room. The selection of lighting fixtures is carried out by specialists with engineering education, the lighting calculation formula includes many factors:

• footage of the room and ceiling height;
• area, location and orientation of windows;
• reflective properties of building materials;
• lighting standards by type of activity.

When choosing lighting fixtures, not only the power and light output of the lamps are important, but also the colour temperature of the radiation: the most comfortable lighting for the eyes is close to natural. During daylight hours, use daylight as much as possible to save on electricity and make the interior more welcoming; when organizing artificial lighting, give preference to warm white lamps.

In multifunctional spaces such as a doctor’s office, the lighting design is determined by technological standards and envisages a multi-level organization. In addition to the central lighting with a uniform distribution of the light flux, specialized models of lighting fixtures are installed for local illumination of work areas and bactericidal UV lamps for air disinfection.

Why invest in doctor’s office interior design?

In a rationally designed room, there are higher productivity and morale of the staff, and all the requirements of the Ministry of Health and other supervisory authorities are observed. You will easily stand any check, avoid fines and strengthen your position in the market, gain a reputation as a conscientious partner and socially responsible entrepreneur.

Investing in doctor’s office design pays off with the trust and loyalty of patients, whom you will be able to attract and retain by creating an atmosphere of caring and consideration in the clinic. Help clients overcome awkwardness and anxiety, and they will not doubt your competence for a second, will contact you regularly and recommend you to relatives and friends.

Sanitary requirements vs. technological design of the doctor’s office

The law also imposes requirements for a clear distinction between “clean” and “dirty” zones, the arrangement of utility lines, the equipment and the microclimate of medical premises; shielding is provided for some types of equipment. The project manager monitors compliance with sanitary and epidemiological standards, so you get a license the first time and immediately start a medical practice.

The interior design of a doctor’s office from A to Z

The development of a design project in the Euromed-Bud company begins with clarifying the characteristics of the object, the specialization of the institution and the social profile of the target audience. Issues of ergonomics, aesthetics, and psychology are carefully worked out. The layout, corporate identity, and selection of accessories are coordinated. The terms of reference are drawn up, and the estimate and work schedule are approved.

Price list for the design of medical institutions

After weighing all the pros and cons, you probably wondered how much it costs to design a medical room in Warsaw, on what conditions contractors work and what you can save on. The price list with current prices is posted on the website; we also provide clients with advisory support and perform a preliminary calculation of the estimate with the justification of costs. The estimated cost of the project is announced immediately, without omissions and hidden surcharges; if necessary, we will help to optimize costs and get the best quality at a reasonable price!