Create Calm in Your Waiting Room

Waiting rooms can be noisy places, which impacts on your patients’ mood and increases anxiety levels. Just like in a concert hall or jazz club, the way noises interact with the room makes a huge difference to the overall experience for anyone sitting in the space. To create the best patient experience possible in your waiting room, you need to consider the acoustics and take steps to make the ambience as relaxing as possible.

Two different ways of minimising noise are the use of either noise blocking or noise absorbing materials. A combination of the two is the best for keeping your waiting room calm and relaxed.

Noise blocking options include:

Soundproof drywall - this should be considered in the original design of your building or can be retrofitted if noise from outside your practice is a real issue. If your office is on a very noisy street or you are sharing a building with other businesses that create a lot of noise internally, this could really help to keep sound levels to a minimum in your waiting room.

Double glazed windows - not only can these help with noise levels from the street, they also control the temperature inside, giving you more for your money when you install them. Acoustic curtains can be installed for major noise issues, but this needs to be balanced with the need for natural light.

Noise screens and room dividers - if your waiting room is very large, you might consider placing some room dividers around to minimise the flow of noise. You could segment your waiting room into separate areas for families and children, or have patients for different doctors wait in their own designated area.

There are many ways to include sound absorbing materials into your waiting room, depending on how much noise is being generated in your office:

Flooring - tiles and wood laminate flooring can create a lot of echo and reverb. Consider installing hard wearing carpet to absorb noise in the waiting area, and rubber matting in office areas to reduce the sound of chairs rolling and footsteps.

Ceiling materials - your ceiling is a large flat space that easily reflects sounds back into the room. Installing perforated wood-look ceilings or ceiling dividers reduces noise substantially, and works particularly well in high ceilinged buildings.

Soft furnishings - the less reflective surfaces for noise to bounce off, the better. Make sure your furniture is upholstered in a fabric that is more sound absorbing, rather than covered in vinyl or plastic surfaces that reflect sound.

Artwork - walls are also large reflective spaces that add to echo and additional noise. By adding artwork such as tapestries and wall hangings you can reduce the surface area and muffle any sound in your waiting room.

White noise machines - these can be very effective at covering up low level office noises such as printers, keyboards, scraping chairs and the general hum of a working building. Keeping a consistent level of low white noise is much more relaxing for patients than having jarring noises coming through the waiting room.??

While some of these noise reducing measures take a little more investment and effort, there is an option for every budget and building style. Take an objective look at the noise in your waiting room and see if you can make some changes today to improve your patient experience.