Why Is Healthcare Lighting Important?

Updated on November 25, 2020

Lighting allows humans to see and perform their everyday activities, however, it also plays a vital role in the psychological and psychological health of all humans. Lighting can be supplied in the natural way of sunlight and also through artificial means. Since lighting is important to human health, this should be replicated in healthcare sectors by having ample healthcare therein.

Where to Apply Healthcare Lighting

Healthcare can be adversely improved through proper lighting with the facilities that provide it. Lighting is important in various aspects: It increases the attraction of a space and also makes a room appear larger. Lighting also increases the visibility of people in a room. 

Healthcare lighting could be applied in the patient corridors, patient rooms (wards), surgical areas, medical labs, cancer centers, children’s hospitals, critical care areas: Intensive care units (ICU’s) and High Dependency Units (HDU’s), doctors and nurses’ stations, washrooms among other areas within the healthcare centers.

Benefits of Healthcare Lighting

 In healthcare facilities, lighting enables the healthcare workers who include doctors, nurses, and the subordinate staff as well to undertake their chores easily. They will move the machinery needed for procedures from one point to another, move or transfer patients and the patients as well will be able to stay comfortably at their bed points as they can see what is around them. Other benefits that come with healthcare lighting are that surfaces will be easily cleaned, sanitized, and if a replacement is needed it can be done in seconds.

 There will also be ease of installation of equipment within the facilities. Major procedures may need to be done during the day or night and most of them need lighting hence healthcare lighting comes in handy at such moments. Healthcare lighting also assists in the diagnosis of diseases affecting patients, their treatment and also creates a tranquil environment for the patients, staff, and guests who come into the healthcare facilities. 

Light is very important for human health. Scientific research has shown that better lighting help patients sleep better during the day and night. In most healthcare facilities, patients are bedridden or take most of their time in beds, hence it is very important to have proper healthcare lighting. This will benefit both the staff within the healthcare facilities as well as the patients. 

Healthcare lighting does not only increase humans’ visibility, it also supports the patients’ healing process by reducing depression, alleviating the pain they could be going through, supporting some of their body systems which include their breathing. Some very sophisticated procedures done severally to patients such as dialysis could not also be possible without the proper lighting in healthcare facilities.

Who Should Healthcare Lighting Be Accessible To?

The healthcare lighting should also be accessible to those that would want to check in the hospital especially at night, in this case, the emergency cases that should be attended to immediately. 

There are several sources of good lighting including lamps, mirrors, windows among other devices. This can be factored in from the foundations of setting up these healthcare facilities and be installed before they start operating. The healthcare lighting should also have backup sources such as generators and solar panels just in case there are power cuts in the surrounding areas of the hospital or healthcare facilities.

 Immediately the power goes off, there should be an immediate backup for it for continuous light to the patients and staff therein at that moment. This should also be factored in at the foundation levels of the facilities or if not, it should be an area the facilities can invest in and implement in due time.

Final Thoughts

Healthcare lighting should be of the essence in the healthcare facilities as they are critical to human functioning. Strong healthcare lighting designs should hence be invested in as they are beneficial to patients and all the staff within hospitals and healthcare facilities. 

The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.