While medical clinics often seem like mini hospitals, they’re not. They’re actually very different. In fact, medical clinics are typically separate entities from hospitals and large healthcare facilities. Because these facilities treat many outpatients daily, certain guidelines are recommended in their design and in overall medical clinic construction.
At The Korte Company, we’ve built our fair share of these medical clinics. There have been many for the Department of Defense. And, of course, there have been many for local and regional healthcare providers as well. In our time building them, we’ve gained with learnings from our time on the job site.. Some of those are as follows.
Medical clinic access, navigation and convenience
- Indicate locations in multiple languages and use universal symbols (including numbers) when designing signs in a multicultural setting
- Design the clinic as a single source for dental, X-rays, pharmacy, laboratory and medical services
- Design a separate entrance and exit for mental health patients
- Create a welcoming environment for all staff, patients and their families to positively influence the surroundings; such amenities can sometimes be as simple as adding calming distractions like plants and water features
- Provide access to natural elements such as terraces and courtyards
- Ensure that furniture easily fits into all parts of the building and is able to be rearranged
Examination and consulting rooms in medical clinics
- Design exam rooms that can hold multiple caregivers
- Make sure illumination is available for tasks that require ample light
- Increase the efficiency of work patterns by carefully considering best practices of ergonomics and layouts
- Provide privacy by accounting for sight lines in and out of each room
- Provide a generous amount of space for patients’ families within the procedure and exam rooms
The responsibility of designing a hospital requires that you consider the needs and wishes of the patients and the staff. This extends beyond the basic, necessary elements, such as structural characteristics.
We hope you found this blog post helpful. Here’s to building smarter healthcare!
