Better Healthcare Lighting – Better Patient Experience
Healthcare facilities such as hospitals and urgent care centers are open 24 hours a day, serving their populations with the best care possible. The idea of “best care” has expanded beyond the most innovative and technically advanced medical procedures to focus on the simpler aspects of care, like a patient’s experience. Many healthcare administrators are looking to modernize existing facilities in the name of enhancing a patient’s experience and overall well-being. Part of that modernization can easily be achieved by upgrading the lighting design within the interior and exterior of the building using EarthTronics’ LED Earthbulbs.
Lighting is a universal necessity and budgetary burden, but using LEDs can distinctly change the healthcare environment and bottom line with the flip of a switch. LED lighting solutions have the potential to not only improve patient experiences, but to also improve staff productivity and safety and security, all while generating maximum energy savings.
The Case for LEDs
LEDs are more energy efficient than any other bulb on the market today. They produce more lumens per watt, meaning less power is needed to produce more light; more energy savings! All EarthBulb lamps, for example, provide over 80% energy savings when compared to incandescents, and nearly 40% when compared to CFLs.
LEDs last longer (our bulbs boast an average life span of over 25,000 hours!) and provide two key benefits: better quality of light and choices in color of light. You can select from a warm “soft white” color or a more natural daylight color. The daylight color option is the closest spectral match to sunlight, providing the safest, whitest and easiest light to see, which is often an advantage to elderly populations. Additionally, LED bulbs contain no mercury or hazardous waste, and are 100% recyclable. High-quality LED products can last up to 20x longer than any other artificial light source, reducing the time, cost, and effort of maintenance.
Benefits of LED Lighting for Patients and Staff
LEDs evenly distribute light and color, creating better visual acuity and a greater sense of calm due to their similarity to natural sunlight. Fully directional down-lighting also provides more illumination on working surfaces, rather than the diffusing glow produced by gas-filled fluorescent tubes.
Proper lighting can help alleviate seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a condition related to the decrease in sunlight in the winter months. LEDs also eliminate flickering fluorescent lights, which can have a deleterious effect on individuals who fall within the autism spectrum.
Healthcare Application Examples
MRI Facilities
Healthcare Design Magazine reports that Lighting in MRI suites is challenging because of the short life of incandescent bulbs. Fluorescent lights can’t be used because they generate noise artifacts on patient scans. Some imaging facilities experience weekly light outages, which shuts down the MRI suite for maintenance. However, LED lights are MRI safe because they do not use filaments that are affected by magnetic fields, nor do they emit radio frequencies. Additionally, by not having a filament, LED lighting eliminates the potential for white pixel noise, which can be generated when an incandescent bulb’s filament is at the point of failure.
LEDs used in radiology address a number of important issues: sustainability, reducing accidents in the MRI suite, and decreasing maintenance and operational costs.
Operating Room/Examination Room
Unlike other light sources, LED bulbs and tubes do not emit a high percentage of heat. Within an operating room, body tissue can be seen in its natural color, and there is no risk of drying out tissue. LEDs help surgeons work easier and are safer for the patient. The removal of heat from surgical lights also reduces air conditioning requirements and given the long life of LEDs, there is almost no risk of losing a light in the middle of a critical procedure.
Parking lots and outdoor areas
LED street lights can tolerate temperature extremes better than fluorescents and switch on instantly providing fast and effective illumination. An LED upgrade for exterior lighting provides brighter, more reassuring illumination to entrances, courtyards and parking areas — making a facility appear more modern and secure. Their longer lifespan also provides relief to the maintenance staff, reducing the time necessary for exterior bulb replacement.
Check out EarthTronics direction adjustable LED wall pack series as a great exterior option for your healthcare facility.
LEDs require less electricity and maintenance and reduce bulb replacement costs, but it’s the role they play in improving the patient and staff experience that matters the most.
Interested in LEDs, but concerned about replacing costly fixtures? Learn more about LED retrofitting with EarthTronics Retrofit Kits, they make installation possible in just a few easy steps.