A study conducted in 2018 showed that the median wait time for a patient hoping to see a doctor was about 4 minutes. A few patients waited longer.

Despite all the time people spend in waiting rooms, most of them aren't interesting. Most of them offer old magazines to read, but nothing else. Some of them have interesting design features, but a lot of them are standardized and impersonal.

How do we fix this? Are there any interesting waiting room ideas that can make patients feel more at home? 

There are plenty of design ideas for waiting rooms, and we'll discuss them here.

Natural Light

More than one-third of people in the US are afraid of dental treatment, and a similar number avoid seeing the doctor. The biggest job of any medical practice should be to calm that fear. Natural light helps create a warm, inviting atmosphere in your waiting room. One of the best types of interior design for this is contemporary style. 

This contrasts with the cold, clinical feel of a doctor's office. That contrast makes it much easier for patients to calm down. Adding windows is the best way to create natural light. This can be expensive but it's worth the cost if you want happier patients. Whether you're looking for a good orthodontic office design or a pediatric dental office design, lighting up your waiting room is a great idea.

Updated Furniture

Furniture arrangements can set the mood in a doctor's office waiting room. The average professional waiting room is set up for efficiency rather than comfort. Standard metal and wooden chairs lined up like dominoes feel stringent and unfeeling. Dull colors don't help, either.

Investing in more comfortable and colorful furniture helps put patients at ease and might improve their experience. Experiments with luxury dental office design have proven this.

Wall Decor

Livening up a medical office design can be as easy as painting the walls. Colors invoke emotions in people, and some colors can make us feel happy or relaxed. Studying colors and psychology will pay off in the long run.

You can also try putting up a few paintings or other bits of decor. Viewing art has a soothing effect, which makes the wait easier. Certain pieces of artwork are better for these purposes. We wouldn't suggest anything from Picasso's "blue period," for instance, but plenty of his other work will do.

You don't have to use paintings in your doctor's office design. Clocks and other simple pieces will work, too. 

Waiting Room Ideas for Modern Practices

Despite modern medicine's cutting-edge technology and techniques, the industry is still behind in a few ways. They haven't updated their waiting room ideas for decades, and that's making patients more anxious and bored. 

The good news is that we can help. We've been designing medical offices for eighteen years, and we've learned a lot in that time. If you want to give your waiting room a new lease on life, read our blog. You'll find plenty of great advice there.

If you want the professionals to handle it, call us. Feel free to look through our portfolio for examples of our work.