Not long ago, healthcare facilities were constructed around the process and efficiency of their equipment and technology instead of the effect their designs might have on patients and families. They were utilitarian. And awfully white. That's all changing. Healthcare facility design has become more human-focused and colorful. There's good reason: Study after study has shown that the environment can positively affect patients, from alleviating anxiety before a procedure to promoting faster healing time. Read on to find out how to incorporate healing features into the design of your new facility.

Reduce patients' and families' pre-op anxiety
Healing features don't just start in the recovery room. You'll want to maintain a feeling of comfort and relaxation throughout the entire patient visit to help alleviate patient and family anxiety, says Janet Faulkner, AIA, LEED, principal architect with Callison Architecture in Seattle. This becomes important in the design of public areas such as waiting rooms and lobbies. We asked design experts for some ideas on how to do just that.

• Dress up the walls with color and scenery. One of the main design features that an architect can implement to create a healing atmosphere belongs on the walls - artwork and color. You'll find a revolving art exhibit from the William Traver Galley as well as rich colors to promote a serene healing environment at the St. Joseph Outpatient Center in Tacoma, Wash. Art depicting nature scenes has been proven to reduce patient anxiety, according to a study conducted by Roger Ulrich, PhD, professor and director of the Center for Health Systems and Design at Texas A&M University.
• Create positive distractions. Nature isn't just found on the walls of many newer surgery centers; it's also a physical part of the structure, with many centers implementing healing gardens and water features both inside and outside of the facility. "Garden areas and fish tanks are other ways to create a more stress-free environment," says Fletcher MacNeill, AIA, an architect with Ewing Cole in Philadelphia. Diversions such as computer kiosks, play areas and reading spots are design features that can promote a calming environment.
• Let in some light. Sunlight is a natural feature that can play an integral part in good design. "In designing St. Joseph's, we wanted to use the natural daylight as an orientation factor," says Ms. Faulkner. The facility boasts glass exposures in the lobby stairwell, both upstairs and downstairs, to give patients and families access to the outside world.
• Allow freedom of movement. Even in centers that are already up and running, there are still ways to implement healing features without a complete remodel. One of the five tenets of evidence-based design focuses on control - the control that the patient and family have over their environment. A waiting room furnished with movable chairs lets patients and families group them where they like, therefore taking visible control over their surroundings. "When families can sit more intimately by moving chairs together instead of sitting along a wall like in a bus station, stress can be reduced," says Mr. MacNeill.
• Promote relaxation and recovery for patients during and after the surgery. Today, even the hallways leading to the ORs are adorned with healing features such as color and artwork to create a soothing and relaxing environment for patients. The thinking is that you want to continue the healing process that began in the waiting room, experts say.
• Add color. It wasn't long ago that bare white walls were the norm in ORs, and the recovery areas were usually just as bland. However, times have changed and the walls that surround a patient no longer need to be stark white. "A rich design environment will let the staff maintain focus and create a calming space for a patient who might still be awake while in the OR," says Ms. Faulkner.
• Provide a room with a view. Windows in the OR can create a less anxiety-producing environment for both patients and staff. A view of a garden or a park can even relieve stress for doctors and nurses. "More and more facilities are putting windows in their ORs," says Steven Palmer, manager of OR systems for Berchtold Corp., a surgical equipment design and manufacturing company. "Some have even installed floor-to-ceiling windows." Even if your OR has no access to natural sunlight, installing windows that face the hallway, high up on the wall to keep out any nosy spectators, can still give the space a feeling of openness and allow light from the hallway to shine in, says Mr. Palmer. Still another option if your facility is short on windows or skylights: Install photographs of real skies that fit into a standard ceiling grid system. These ceiling tiles feature fluorescent or LED lighting that illuminates the translucent images from behind. Remember that patients spend a majority of time in a surgery center on their backs as captive observers of ceilings.

• Keep it consistent. In the pre-op, PACU and recovery areas, it's important to keep the same color scheme and pattern throughout. That way, as the patient moves from one area to another, he'll see something familiar which will eliminate anxiety and encourage faster healing, says Ms. Faulkner. "In the PACU, patients are generally emotional and confused when they're coming out of the anesthesia," she says. A consistency in environment will calm patients and help them link together memories and facts and get on the road to recovery faster.
• Establish privacy. Privacy in PACU areas can also help speed the recovery process, says Mr. MacNeill. "By keeping three walls around the patient, you can reduce stress caused by other patients." Also, increasing the square footage of recovery rooms allows easier movement for nurses as well as room for visiting family members who can provide comfort and familiarity, says Mr. MacNeill. Even though patients generally don't spend a large amount of time in recovery at an outpatient surgery center, patient rooms can still serve as healing environments. St. Joseph's uses indirect lighting to create a relaxing ambience in its patient rooms and creates a hotel-like atmosphere with wardrobes, vanity mirrors and glass tile accents. Soothing, natural colors are also found in patient rooms. Some facilities use cubicle curtains adorned with festive scenes in pre-op and PACU bays.

Weigh the costs with the benefits
What about cost? Can you afford to incorporate healing design features? Implementing healing features will pay for itself in terms of shorter lengths of stay for patients and lower staff turnover, says Mr. MacNeill. Many times, doctor-driven facilities don't focus on evidence-based design because they assume the cost is too much, says Ms. Faulkner. But, she points out, colored paint costs the same as white, so even small changes are easily manageable with some creativity and determination.