Though important, aesthetics are not the driving force behind finishing products specified for the healthcare environment. With the evolution of evidence-based design theories, product specification goes beyond simply picking a chair, table or surface because it fits within a facility’s feng shui. There are an increasing number of architects, designers and facility managers that utilize evidence-based design, recognizing that the physical environment of a space can have a measurable influence on the well-being of its occupants, especially in healthcare.

As evidence-based solutions are specified from the floor to the ceiling of a healthcare facility, one design element that has become progressively more important to the equation of a healthy building and its inhabitants is lighting. Lighting is a significant factor in creating an efficient, safe and comforting healthcare environment, and through evidence-based design, lighting specifiers are able to make design interpretations based on reliable research that not only contribute to the building’s décor, but also its bottom line, as well as the health and safety of patients and caregivers, all without sacrificing the quality of light. Hospitals utilize extremely high levels of energy consumption with 20 to 25 percent of electricity costs spent on lighting fixtures alone. With the advances of LED (light emitting diodes) lighting and the numerous benefits it provides over traditional CFLs (compact fluorescents) – a current lighting standard in most healthcare facilities – many hospitals are turning to this advanced illumination solution to not only grow their buildings’ energy savings, but also to provide for the safety and comfort of their inhabitants.

With the ability to increase the efficiency of the space and quality of care delivered, LED light sources may help satisfy these requirements and maximize the healthcare experience of all those who work and visit a healthcare facility. LED lighting can also assist in transforming the environment of a patient room to suit the needs of the everyday patient through offering bright, functional light for an examination environment and providing a warm, pleasant, home-like atmosphere in which the patient can enjoy time with family or visitors.

However, high-performance LED light sources are not the sole requirement to creating a patient room that is lit to instill a sense of comfort and safety. Just as essential as the light sources are the controls that manage the illumination. Applying daylight harvesting systems in patient rooms, for example, optimizes the use of natural daylight which is proven to positively impact patient outcome. The benefits afforded by the use of LED lighting control systems in patient rooms, include:

• Providing patients more control, allowing them to create a more personalized space
• Offering patient safety with the absence of mercury content, maintaining proper levels of illumination, while reducing energy consumption with relatively maintenance-free fixtures, allow the lighted space to remain free of contaminants, such as dust and germs that can invade a space during lamp change-outs.
• Improving patient mood and recovery, while lessening patient stay through utilization of natural daylight in combination with daylight harvesting sensors, which dim light levels when natural light is sufficient in the space and brighten light levels when it is cloudy or dark outside.

Just like patients, caregivers also experience benefits from a well lit space as thoughtful design of a healthcare facility can make a caregiver’s job easier and more rewarding while making the work environment more appealing and productive, including:

• Increased exposure to sunlight during their shift leads to higher job satisfaction which in turn leads to increased caregiver motivation and satisfaction, ultimately enhancing the quality of care delivered
• Through the specification of LEDs, which radiate much less heat than incandescent bulbs in operating/examining rooms, an optimum working environment can be created for the whole staff and even provide the opportunity to set HVAC systems a few degrees warmer, which further reduces energy spend
• Promoting safety, LEDs are ideal for use in wet location fixtures and are also mercury free compared to CFL counterparts, posing less of a hazard to staff;
• Improving color rendition, LEDs increase visibility of subtle differences in colors for tissue identification, making diagnosis faster and more accurate, therefore reducing medical errors.

Additional studies show that professionals with at least three hours of exposure to daylight have higher job satisfaction than those who have less exposure to daylight. However, when specifying lighting for critical care areas within a hospital, lighting options must be flexible, allowing the staff to control the lighting as needed.

LED lighting not only affords benefits to the patient and caregiver, but also to the facility’s bottom line. Healthcare facility managers are challenged with the ongoing issue of trying to reduce energy spend without sacrificing the quality of light. LED lighting solutions offer healthcare facilities the flexibility for creating more hospitable environments while maintaining low energy costs. Energy-efficient lighting controls hospitals should consider include:

• Occupancy sensors – turn lights on in a vacant space when an individual enters; ideal for areas such as administrative offices or gift shops at night
• Vacancy sensors – turn lights off when an individual leaves a space; great for use in utility rooms and lavatories
• Daylight harvesting systems – ideal for use in patient rooms, lobbies, lounges and other common areas which consume high levels of natural light within a space

With the continuous evolution of the lighting industry, LED illumination solutions can provide buildings with up to 20 to 30 percent energy reduction compared to those solutions of the past. This reduction can be enhanced by adding sensors and lighting controls. Facility managers of today are looking for the energy-efficient solutions of tomorrow to help them reach their sustainability goals. Due to a long-lasting life-span of as much as 20 years or more, dramatically reducing maintenance costs, LEDs can further enhance these initiatives. Not only do LEDs afford buildings with greater lighting efficiency, but they can also improve the buildings’ impact on the environment as there are no lamp disposal issues to address.

As more hospitals continue to use this evidence-based design to support their efforts in creating lighting solutions, the overall healthcare experience will be further enhanced for those working, staying in and visiting these facilities. Considering the needs of patients, staff and administrators, healthcare facility managers can support their energy-efficient initiatives with lighting solutions that speak to creating a healing environment, while satisfying the needs of its various occupants.