• Make patients feel more at home by incorporating comforting colors in healthcare facilities.
• Colors have an impact on the brain and have the power to make patients feel calm, or energetic.
• Stress can have a negative impact on a patient’s health. Serene paint colors can help them relax and yield positive health results.

Each patient that enters a doctor’s office or hospital is going through a variety of emotions. A well painted interior space and design can help someone feel comfortable in the atmosphere they’re in, and that includes the lobby, the waiting room, the patient rooms, and everything in between.

Today, patients are more invested in their wellness, so they’re looking for more than just exams, surgeries, and prescriptions from their healthcare providers. With today’s increasingly competitive healthcare market, patients have more choices than ever regarding where they receive care. And if they’re not happy with the overall feel of the environment, they could explore other options.

Make your healthcare color scheme stand out from the others and provide a place where people can feel more comfortable.

Read on for tips on how to promote happiness and comfort in your facility just by choosing certain healthcare space colors.

Psychology of Colors

When we see colors, the shades evoke different emotions and feelings in us. A certain color’s psychological properties can make us feel relaxed and serene. Other colors can have a strong effect on the mind and cause a more intense reaction.

Think of various shades of blue, for example. According to Fresh Home, “blue is said to bring down blood pressure and slow respiration and heart rate. That is why it is considered calming, relaxing and serene.”

On the other hand, the color red can be categorized as having intense reactive properties. Red raises a room’s energy level and can cause spikes of adrenaline.

And since brighter and bolder colors like red can help promote energy, physical therapy centers can benefit by having these vibrant hues on their walls. But you don’t want to overdo it: using an overall relaxing color like gray with an accent wall of bright blue or even bold orange or red can be a good choice.

Color in Healthcare Environments

Spending time in a hospital is sometimes an unpleasant experience, with stress and discomfort rising in patients and their loved ones. But now that you have a better understanding of the psychology of colors, there could be an opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives with your healthcare paint project alone.

Choosing the right color for a healthcare environment can be a powerful tool to help calm your patients, help them heal more quickly, and help distinguish your health care facility from others.

According to the American Psychological Association, “stress can not only worsen existing health problems, but it can also generate new health concerns.” This stress can take a toll on their health by weakening their immune system and aggravating the issue. This could add to recovery time and could even lead to other illnesses.

The right hospital paint colors can make all the different in relaxing patients and their loved ones to try and make them feel as comfortable as possible during what could be a difficult time.

Biophilic Design

One current trend in design that lends itself well to healthcare is Biophilic Design. Biophilia means a love of life or living things. Biophilic Design, introduced in 1984, addresses our innate attraction to nature. “Biophilic design can reduce stress, enhance creativity and clarity of thought, improve our well-being and expedite healing,” according to “14 PATTERNS OF BIOPHILIC DESIGN: Improving Health & Well-Being in the Built Environment.”

Catie Ryan, senior project manager at Terrapin Bright Green, says, “On average, patients whose windows overlooked a scene of nature were released after 7.96 days, compared with the 8.71 days it took for patients whose views were of the hospital’s exterior walls to recover sufficiently to be released — a decrease of 8.5%.”

Incorporating colors from nature into a dentists’ office or hospital walls can mimic these scenes to promote restfulness, lower heart rate, and ultimately, help a patient heal more quickly.

How to Determine Colors for Your Facility

So now that you understand a little more about why to carefully consider healthcare paint colors, it’s time to focus on the how.

1. Determine the purpose of the space. There are many different purposes within a healthcare facility. Are you going for a more commercial appearance, or is it something more residential? Assess who will be in the room and what type of atmosphere you’d like to create.

For example, healthcare waiting rooms and lobbies have traditionally been dull and uncomfortable with wall-to-wall shades of the same color; however, these rooms need to create a great first impression. The use of earth tones, turquoise, and shades of blue can help alleviate anxiety as patients enter your facility. If you want to jazz it up a little, paint an accent wall a brighter color.

1. Consider the materials you are currently working with. You probably aren’t going to change the flooring or other design elements when you’re painting, so take a look at the colors that will work well with them.

1. Think about the business’s branding. The business that’s currently holding the space you’re decorating likely has a logo with branding colors. Take these colors into consideration when healthcare painting. You’ll more than likely be able to pull a few colors from the branding that will work with the space you’re designing.

If you’re considering putting some of these tips to use in your healthcare painting, but are getting hung up on exact shades, CertaPro Painters® can help. With their Color Consultation services available, you’ll spend time with a professional color consultant and use the CertaPro Painters® MyPaint Colors™ visualizer to virtually paint the interior.

In addition to color consultations, CertaPro Painters® delivers first-class, quality interior and exterior painting for healthcare facilities of all types from long-term to short-term care – while providing peace of mind for you. With healthcare facility painting projects, we understand your unique concerns and will make sure we address your specific needs. We are highly respectful of the property and privacy of your patients, residents, and staff. We complete work on spec, on time and on budget.