Many people dread going to the doctor, and some people have had such negative experiences that they avoid doctors altogether. And who can blame them? Imagine being in a small, enclosed room for what could be more than an hour. You’re lying down on a cold exam table wearing only a hospital gown, unsure when your hospital experience will end, then add the probability that you will have to come back for more or to redo a procedure.
The hospital experience is unpleasant, frightening, and sometimes unbearable for many patients. Studies have shown that patients cancel their doctor’s appointments due to fear of hospitals. Ensuring a positive patient experience is a high priority for healthcare organizations, and for a good reason. But a positive patient experience is tough to achieve. Even in ideal settings, doctors can struggle in the primary care office to pinpoint exactly what a patient wants from an office visit, and providers often struggle with different priorities that distinguish patient satisfaction from patient experience. Creating healthy, safe, and comfortable spaces for patients and providers is pertinent to the operation of a great hospital or healthcare center, and it only takes a few simple steps to make the experience more pleasant.
How does lighting in hospitals and other healthcare facilities impact the patient experience?
Lighting has been found to affect patients’ health and recovery process profoundly. While natural daylight offers the best therapeutic benefits, a wide array of ambient and accent artificial lighting in hospitals with dull, busy service corridors is required. Enhancing the light sources create a soothing experience for patients and helps them relax. Adequate lighting conditions are also essential for healthcare workers, improving their visual performance and reducing their stress.
In addition to underlining the impact of light in healthcare settings, studies have found that patients exposed to nature heal much faster, require less medication, and reduce stress and anxiety while rejuvenating and inspiring. Displaying art pieces or images of nature in healthcare facilities enhances the space and provides a sense of calm to patients and staff. Hundreds of hospitals in the country partner with local artists to bring temporary or permanent exhibitions into their facilities.
See an example of an art exhibit project we supported with artist Rachel McCampbell.
Example of an optical illusion created with a large format DSA LED light box in a furniture store.
Adding light to wall decors with DSA Signage
With DSA’s light boxes, you can illuminate any art piece or photography from the back, as the LEDs are directly integrated into the back of the frame. UL-listed light boxes can restore light’s organic connection to open space by channeling its healing spatial attributes and offer the sharpest image quality to bring nature closer to patients than ever before. We guarantee locally made light boxes with vibrant lighting for soothing imagery that can brighten any room or dark hallway. These displays inevitably catch the attention of the space occupants and create a positive distraction while enhancing the benefits of sight.
Illuminated photo exhibit in a dental office with DSA LED Light Boxes.
Display solutions that are designed for the Healthcare industry
Now, it’s true our LED light boxes offer an artistic advantage to decorate and brighten a hospital room or corridor. In addition to these art or photography displays, we also offer an LED Light Panel that is designed specifically to illuminate the MRI rooms and is already installed in hundreds of hospitals around the country.
Did you know that 42% of patients report being fearful of MRI? And that 1 in 7 patients have canceled an MRI due to fear? MRI scans are vital to health care for many MRI patients, but a recent study puts needed re-scans at more than $100,000 per MRI scanner per year. In these areas, adding relaxing and soothing images or lighting seems to be crucial
LED Light Panels energy-efficient lighting source is made to order to any custom size and can be installed on the wall or in the ceiling to be used as an architectural accent or behind an object or a graphic to illuminate it.
These light panels are particularly suited to MRI rooms since they are constructed of 100% non-ferrous metal, delivering no electronic emissions, and ensuring no magnetic interferences when it comes to MRI scanning. Why is this important? Although several metals are deemed MRI safe, they can still significantly interfere with imaging for several reasons. First, there is no MRI signal from the metal, so the metal is dark on MR images. This contrasts with X-ray imaging, where radio-opaque metal is bright. Second, the presence of metal can result in severe variations in the static magnetic field due to the susceptibility variations between metal and surrounding tissue. The magnetic field variations cause significant resonant frequency variations, resulting in various artifacts in MR imaging. When the field changes rapidly with position, there is substantial signal dephasing, resulting in signal loss.
Integrating DSA’s LED panels into your lighting control systems vastly improves reliability and creates a longer life span; it also improves energy efficiency and allows you to take advantage of natural daylight levels. Our LED panels are made from the highest quality materials and will not shatter, sag, yellow, or color shift. They allow for the flexibility to fit into new or existing healthcare settings that enhance the healing environment for patients, families, and providers.
Illumination in medical facilities is an essential component for creating a safe environment that meets the rigorous needs of healthcare applications. Hospital rooms such as MRI rooms, exam rooms, and surgery rooms are among the multiple areas that continue to rely on correct brightness levels, distribution, and color for physicians and medical personnel to do their jobs.
Example of illuminated non-ferrous LED panels in an MRI room.
Have any questions?
For over 40 years, DSA has pioneered systems to meet the most demanding requirements for Healthcare & MRI room lighting, productivity, imaging integrity, and an exceptional patient care experience.
Our light boxes and LED panels are designed to meet the demands of any hospital room. Whether you’re installing art in a poorly lit room with decorative healing art or want illuminated non-magnetic lighting, we have a solution for you.
Contact us to get started or explore our standard light box options from our website.
