Designing a Healing Environment Requires More Than Just Lighting and Decor.  

Healthcare facilities must be designed and set up to make patients feel as calm and relaxed as possible. Setting a more tranquil mood is essential for ensuring the sick and injured know they are in good hands and aren’t under more pressure in an already difficult time. 

While things like lighting and décor are great ways to prep a room for a safe and healing environment, “healing architecture” is also a must.

Healing architecture uses space and structural design to provide therapeutic and health benefits to those who enter a facility – both patients and visitors. Automatic doors are one piece of the healing architecture toolkit that can provide a host of positive benefits to healthcare facilities, making them accessible, safe, aesthetically appealing and hygienic to help promote quicker recoveries.

Healing Architecture in Healthcare Spaces 

Healing architecture enhances the treatment and care of patients by providing a happy, supportive and comfortable environment that is sterile and clean. Rehab centers, medical centers and nursing homes worldwide have used this form of design to make their facilities feel more welcoming, natural and inclusive.

Some hospitals have decided adding natural lighting and rooftop gardens is the way to go, while some choose to create wide open spaces and recreation areas for a more vibrant, diverse feel. While every facility is different depending on the location, the patients they see and local materials, one thing they should all have in common is accessibility, fluid navigation and cleanliness throughout the entire building.

Automatic Doors and Healing Environments

Automatic doors play a huge part in creating a safe space for patients and employees in healthcare facilities. These fixtures have improved accessibility, increased safety, added privacy and decreased the spread of germs in hospitals, doctor’s offices, rehab centers and other healthcare centers. 

The benefits of automatic doors turn an otherwise nerve-wracking and anxiety-inducing space into a more welcoming place to receive vital healthcare treatment. Here are 5:

1. Increased Safety

A public health study found that 29% of all falls in hospitals occur in the bathroom. The use of sliding barn doors and sensors makes these small spaces and rooms more accessible and easier to maneuver through, reducing the risk of falls due to architectural design. This increase in safety due to proper door selection isn’t limited to bathrooms, and it can make traveling through all areas and spaces of a hospital more manageable for all patients and pedestrians.

Employees are also safer with quality automatic hospital doors. Many options offer features that add a more comprehensive layer of protection during the workday. Employees can do their jobs better and more confidently without fearing security issues. These features include key card entrances, anti-piggyback and anti-tailgating protection, bullet-resistant glass and more. 

2. Improved Accessibility

Automatic doors have made it easier for everyone to get around facilities. The door frames are larger for wheelchairs and hospital beds, and sensors are there to open doors without human intervention. 

Patients will feel calmer and happier with more spacious areas and room to move. Accessibility goes beyond aiding the physically impaired. Innovative automatic doors can also provide aid to those visually impaired and the employees who work in these locations.

With space that is easier to navigate, provides proper temperatures and lighting and offers optimal protection, staff will feel safe, comfortable and efficient, thus improving daily mood and service levels.

3. Increased Privacy

Lack of privacy in waiting rooms, patient rooms or anywhere else in the healthcare industry can cause stress and anxiety for patients. Many automatic door solutions provide noise-dampening and soundproofing benefits, allowing for better patient-doctor confidentiality. A quiet space also allows patients to relax and feel more comfortable, whether sitting in the waiting area or prepping for tests in a patient room.

4. Decreased Spreading of Germs

Automatic doors offer a variety of features that actually help stop the spread of germs. Surface areas on manual opening devices are some of the most common places to find illness-inducing germs, spreading viruses such as the flu, COVID-19, Norovirus and the common cold like wildfire. Through the use of contactless door openers, there is an increase in protection from surface germs that are left on door knobs and handles daily. 

Isolation doors with air-tight seals and atmospheric sliding doors with ultra-clean, sterile stainless steel are used in critical care regions of a hospital to ensure viruses are contained and less likely to spread. 

5. Increased Productivity

Installing automatic doors can improve the productivity of doctors and other employees in healthcare facilities. Medical staff can quickly move patients from one hospital area to the next without being redirected due to backed-up traffic or taking the time to manually open the doors. Personnel can also reach patients quickly and effortlessly in any emergency, thanks to the breakaway feature. 

The use of glass doors provides the opportunity to expose the facility to natural sunlight during the day. A study on 141 nurses working in a hospital setting states, “Exposure to daylight at least 3 hours a day was found to cause less stress and higher satisfaction at work,” leading to improved productivity. 

Considerations for Choosing Automatic Doors for a Healing Environment

The type of doors installed in any healthcare facility will help determine how welcome, comfortable and happy the patients will feel. A wide range of automatic doors available today can fit into just about any space, improving the patient experience. Some options to choose from include:

• Revolving doors: These doors offer an appealing architectural design, energy-conserving seals and wide spaces for wheelchairs and walkers to navigate through.
• Sliding doors: Sliding doors come in an array of designs suited for particular areas of healthcare facilities such as ICU, isolation rooms, and clean rooms and can be used as an entrance system. You can also have them installed with bullet-resistant glass for peace of mind.
• Swing doors: Automatic swing doors are ideal when replacing traditional doors to meet ADA standards. These doors increase accessibility and provide wider openings for medical equipment and walking aids to move through.
• Folding doors: These versatile doors perfect for awkward and/or smaller spaces, offering a quick and easy entrance. 

Once the right doors are selected, here are some features to consider to further improve the healing environment with automatic doors:

• Glass doors: Glass allows patients to soak in natural sunlight while waiting on doctors or going through treatment.
• Tested seals: High-quality, durable seals ensure the temperatures in the room are ideal for conformability, air-quality control and privacy. 
• Touchless sensors: When there’s no need to touch doorknobs, buttons and handles when opening a door, the chances of picking up germs decrease significantly, which can be a huge relief to patients, particularly those who are immunocompromised.
• Fire protection: Fire doors are designed to contain a fire in a small area, stopping it from spreading throughout an entire building. In the event of a fire, these doors (automatic swing or horizontal fire doors) give you more time to evacuate.
• Breakaway feature: Breakaway doors ensure no one can get trapped inside a room or building in the event of an emergency. This security feature is ideal for those who may be claustrophobic or simply anxious in public spaces. They are also ideal for ICU or patient rooms to easily maneuver hospital beds in and out of a room.

Specifying Automatic Doors for Healing Environments

Creating the ideal healing environment within healthcare facilities requires savvy architectural design and high quality fixtures developed by experts with years of knowledge and experience. Horton Automatics knows precisely what it takes to create the perfect space for the optimal patient experience through the use of automatic doors. 

For more information about selecting the right doors for your healthcare application, contact your local Horton distributor.