6 ways to improve physician well-being in a clinical environment

Caterina Rizzi is the Chief Experience Officer at Lotus.

When you picture a doctor’s office, a pretty standard image comes to mind. A dreary, windowless facility with a waiting room full of sick people, stressed out receptionists addressing patients with a phone glued to their ear, examination rooms reminiscent of a hospital created in the 1970s—and equipped with the same era of equipment and technologies.

Doctors have come to accept these environments as the status-quo without realizing the invisible negative impacts it can cause throughout their career.

A medical clinic is not just a space to pass through once in a while—it’s a doctor’s second home.

At Lotus, we’ve thoughtfully redesigned the clinical space so that doctors can be their most productive while they focus on what they do best—healing.

Here are 6 strategies that we’ve employed in order to create an inspiring and empowering medical clinic space that doctors deserve.

1. The aesthetics matter

Just because it’s a medical clinic doesn’t mean it has to look like a typical medical clinic. Thoughtful design details contribute not only to the creation of an inviting space but also in the positive mental experience that the space evokes in the people who exist in it.

For example, in our pediatric clinic, Bloom, you won’t see any loud primary colours or clichéd clown posters. Instead, we approached the aesthetic design from a more natural perspective, using a soothing colour palette paired with organic motifs and natural materials such as wood. This type of purposeful nature-inspired design is sometimes referred to as “biophilic design”, and it’s been shown to increase the well-being of those present in the space.

2. Create a space with a view

When scouting locations for our clinics, one of our top requirements is choosing a location with a great view.

A visual connection with nature is directly correlated with lowered blood pressure and heart rate and improved mental engagement and attentiveness, as well as positively impacting attitude and overall happiness.

3. Let natural light shine in

One of the most sought-after features by people who work in healthcare facilities is access to natural light. In fact, when we interviewed doctors to find out what their needs were for a clinic space and asked them what their dream workspace would include, one of the most common replies was “windows”!

Exposure to natural light is proven to help our bodies produce vitamin D, improves our circadian rhythms and sleep patterns, helps us to focus, enables us to get more done, and even makes us happier.

Unfortunately, most medical facilities are designed to prioritize access to natural light (if any) for the patient, completely overlooking the real design client: the healthcare workers who work in this environment all day long.

4. Separate offices from exam rooms

The era of doctors having a dedicated private-office-slash-exam room is fading fast. Enable doctors to see more patients by offering 2 or more flex exam rooms for their patients.

Having a distinct space for examinations and another for other work enables more doctors to use exam rooms. It also helps reduce the risk of a patient interrupting a consultation—once the doctor is finished with a patient, they move to their office to write notes instead of staying in the same place.

What's more, we understand that doctors don't have time to clean—but they still deserve to work in a sanitary environment. Providing separate offices allows us to fully sterilize exam rooms between every patient, while physicians take care of things like notes in a clean, distraction-free space.

5. Plan for a variety of staff-only work areas

Doctors spend approximately half of their workday performing tasks outside of the examination room. We made a point to design our spaces in a way that encourages different working styles and collaboration and creates chance encounters with colleagues.

Dr. Vyas, one of our pediatricians at Bloom, told us how much she loved the opportunity to exchange with other medical professionals during her workday.

“The people make the place,” she says. “Smiling, always willing to help. It feels like there’s community support, even though we all have our own patients.”

The workplace being so conducive to collaborative work even led to Bloom doctors getting together weekly to discuss various cases and share their experience.

“To have the expertise of other doctors, especially as a recent grad, is extremely helpful,” says Dr. Vyas.

To foster these types of interactions between medical staff, we provide sit/stand desk areas for note taking between patients and quick standing work sessions as well as offer breakout space to take private phone calls or do focused work, either alone or alongside colleagues.

6. Minimize steps, maximize time

We all strive to get our 10,000 steps in each day, but not when it’s because things are so out of reach and badly organized that it happens by accident.

When creating the layout and flow of a medical space, it’s of the utmost importance that a practitioner has everything that they need to work at their fingertips—and when they don’t, that they can move freely throughout their workspace without unnecessary interruptions, such as chance crossings with patients who still have questions post-examination.

In Lotus clinics, we use technology to add a layer of efficiency to our space design. Thanks to various screens throughout the clinic, everyone knows at a glance where everyone else is, so there’s no running around looking for a missing colleague when you need them. If a physician needs to provide patient teachings, for example, they can instantly notify a nurse, who’ll be on their way in no time.

Our productivity-focused operations are so efficient that patients rarely have to wait for their appointment.

Enjoy all this and much more with Lotus

Lotus can lower your practice stress by offering a turnkey space designed to help you, the physician, operate a more efficient practice.

Our clinics are bright and feature floor-to-ceiling windows that allow you and your patients to connect with nature. Features like practice management software, PPE, and billing solutions are included with our spaces. We even take care of sterilizing your room between patients. All of these extras leave you with more time to focus on your patients and take breaks for self-care.

Connect with us to learn more.

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