Expert advice on improving the look of your office: try calming colors, lots of natural light

OB/GYN News, Sept 15, 2003 by Doug Brunk

The way your office looks may be more important than you might think.

In fact, the way patients feel about their physicians starts with how they feel when they come through the door, said Rayne Sherman, a certified interior designer with Sherman Ganus, an interior design and architectural firm based in Long Beach, Calif.

"Most people don't like to go to the doctor," he noted. "If you exacerbate that by having them walk into a room that no one has cared about, or that has been planned badly, the physician and his staff have more of an uphill fight to gain their confidence."

For your reception area, strive for a homelike feel, with good air circulation (keep air conditioner filters clean to eliminate odor) and lots of natural light if possible. Use table and floor lamps in lieu of overhead fluorescent fixtures, and choose calming colors for walls, floor coverings, and furniture. Small fountains, aviaries, and fish tanks can be effective additions.

"You're trying to generate a mood," said Victor Regnier, professor of architecture and gerontology at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. "You're trying to make people feel good." He cited the positive example of a cancer clinic where showcases displaying information about patients who had succeeded in battling cancer were placed around the room.

Dr. William Soper, a family physician who practices in Kansas City, Mo., and has helped design seven offices over his career, offered these tips:

* Enlist help from professionals. "If the architect is doing his or her job right, they're going to save you more money than they cost," he said. Pick an architect you get along with and who's open to your ideas. Visit other offices the architect has designed before you sign up. The same advice applies for interior designers.

* Use soothing colors. Dr. Soper wanted a southwestern feel for his current office, so his interior designer used a color palette of sands, browns, and dark greens for the walls, carpeting, and upholstery. Artwork includes a huge mosaic of a blazing sun that takes up an entire wall.

* Think twice about television. You may think that providing a television in your waiting room is a healthy distraction, but it can work against you if it plays too loud, not to mention the likely disagreement among patients over what to watch.

* Use Muzak. If you choose to play music in your reception area, go with middle-of-the-road Muzak or light jazz.

* Provide reading material. Dr. Soper sets out up-to-date magazines and catalogs such as Land's End and invites patients to take them home if they like.

* Use individual chairs. "People don't really like to sit on couches," he said. "They are hard to get in and out of. Usually they don't want to share couches unless they come to the office with family members."

* Install heating lamps over the exam table. That way if someone has to disrobe on a chilly morning, the chill is squelched.