A patient’s room is very complex from a lighting perspective because both the patient’s and staff’s needs must be considered. Regardless of the time of day the patient needs a calm and stress-free environment that feels safe and promotes healing and well being. Staffs needs sufficient work light to examine and treat patients, administer medication and make notes.
Day
During the day, sunlight is supplemented with intense, relatively cold ambient light with a high proportion of blue light.
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Light control
The patient must, to the greatest degree possible, be able to control their own light and select the type of light that they want. In hospital, the patient is in a vulnerable situation and dependent on others, and the more control they have, the more at ease they feel.
Colour selection
We are seeing patient rooms with brightly coloured walls more often, but note, the colour of the walls also has an impact on the colour of the light. Bright, attractive rooms help to improve the patient’s mood in the often, boring daily routine involved in an extended hospital stay. The design and colour scheme of the room together with good lighting and supply channels that have a discrete and not-so-technical design, also contribute to a more pleasant atmosphere.
Lighting for intensive care
Intensive care rooms can quickly become overly technical and frightening for the patient, but the staff needs light to care for them. With the right lighting solution, everyone’s needs can be met. An intensive care room is first and foremost for care purposes and the whole room is designed with good access to medical technical installations and good working light for staff in mind. The right design for both the room and the lighting will satisfy both staff and patients without compromising on what matters most – a good light level for care.
The solution with recessed Fiero Medical Opal allows for dynamic light that can be adjusted during the day. Even if the patient is often medicated and therefore shifts between sleep and consciousness, a colder, relatively intense light during the day can help the patient to maintain their circadian rhythm.
Products
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Pre-set scenes
Pre-set levels make it easy to adjust the light and easy to understand how the light is controlled. Activities in the room depend on the option of a lot of light when it is really needed, normally 1,000 lux on the bed.
Light that follows the patient’s circadian rhythm
The less the patient’s circadian rhythm is disturbed, the better the conditions for sleep and recovery. It is therefore important that the patient gets a lot of light during the day to reduce drowsiness and create the right conditions for a good night’s sleep. During the afternoon and evening, the intensity is reduced and the light becomes warmer, which increases melatonin production. During the night, intense and cold light should be avoided.