The Critical Role of Lighting in Healthcare Organizations

Healthcare lighting embodies the integration of form and function. In addition to complementing the overall design, healthcare lighting solutions should offer a wide range of precise light distribution options to create multi-layered light environments that promote synchronization of circadian rhythms without the distraction of glare, while being easy to maintain and able to withstand the rigors of cleaning processes.

With the increasing awareness of the effects of light on human biology and the growing importance of light in creating pleasant, non-institutionalized environments, there is a growing desire for flexibility in the spectral output and control of hospital lighting systems.

With a focus on the well-being of patients and healthcare workers, the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry and healthcare facility executives are seeking well-configured lighting solutions that promote healing while balancing the needs of vision with the demands of circadian rhythms.

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Hundreds of studies have examined the impact of hospital design on clinical outcomes. The evidence suggests that design plays an important role: quality environments can be an important tool for increasing safety, promoting rehabilitation and improving work comfort in hospitals. For this reason, the institutionalized lighting systems of the past have been replaced by luminaires that combine form and function, such as LED luminaires that are integrated into the architecture and provide soft, indirect light.

 

Circadian Rhythms and Improved Patient Rehabilitation Outcomes

Research on human circadian rhythms, their relationship to overall health, and how light affects circadian rhythms has informed healthcare lighting design. Unfortunately, many hospitals are often not bright enough during the day and dim enough at night to follow the body’s natural circadian pattern. There are a number of ways to accomplish this, including adjustable color temperature lighting, bio-dynamic spectral technology, or using only one intensity-adjustable correlated color temperature (CCT) light source.

Studies have shown that a certain level of exposure to the blue light spectrum alters the body’s production of melatonin. Limiting exposure to blue light at night, in particular, may increase melatonin secretion, thereby promoting sleep. Carefully configuring lighting for patient rooms that balances visual needs with circadian needs can help improve recovery. Circadian lighting is not just about individual luminaires or separate areas, but about the entire lighting environment as a whole.

Reducing health-care worker errors

Nurses and physicians in hospitals often work in stressful environments where they are required to fulfill a complex set of duties and critical patient care tasks. Lighting at nurses’ stations should enhance productivity, not create a hindrance. With studies showing that providing adequate lighting in dispensing areas is one of the most important environmental solutions for avoiding errors, innovative lighting methods and technologies should be an important consideration when building or remodeling hospitals.

Infection control and easy maintenance

In healthcare environments, fixtures should meet strict infection control standards while being easy to maintain. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1 in 25 hospitalized patients will contract a germ in a healthcare facility.

One way to reduce these healthcare-associated infections is to ensure that pathogens cannot get inside those hard-to-reach lighting fixtures. Installing fixtures designed with materials and finishes, such as antimicrobial coatings, that are designed to withstand hospital cleaning processes limits the entry of pathogens into the fixtures, ensures that the fixtures are not damaged during cleaning, and reduces the ability of pathogens to grow in the fixtures even if they are not cleaned in a timely manner.

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