A lot of good suggestions in there, and further evidence of how important it is for designers to incorporate marginalized voices early on in their work.
For those interested in the design/healthcare space, 99% Invisible is a wonderful podcast that occasionally explores themes in that area. Here are two:
Sorry, can’t read it—could you summarize major points, please?
Here’s a gift link for the article.
My husband’s doctor is on the ground floor of the building. You can either go down about 8 steps to get to the door, or there is a ramp off to the right that switchbacks down to it. Great! Except, the door is so heavy I can barely open it while standing, and it doesn’t open wide enough for a wheelchair to get through easily. Not very helpful!
And yeah, that thin walls thing. I’ve heard a lot that I really didn’t need to know, and I try really hard to keep others from hearing things they really don’t need to know. But, my doctor treats a lot of elderly, so he is used to speaking LOUDLY.
I recently had an MRI. I’ve had a couple of them before… I’m not claustrophobic, but yeeeshhh… when the machine sucks you in, the sudden feeling of being inside a small pipe is not very pleasant. This time, the room had a large lighted photo of some lake on the ceiling above the machine. The view of the blue water and greenery was very calming. My heart did not start a mad race when I got pulled deeper into the machine. A small detail but goodness it might make a difference for someone prone to panicking in tight spaces.
I guess I have been fortunate in that I have been spared offices where you can hear conversations between patients in other rooms. Waiting under a piece of paper endlessly for the md to appear is the worst and GYNs are worst offenders. I complained once and told them I won’t take off my clothing again until I’m told he’s nearly ready for me. Fortunately I rarely need to see him any more.
Agree that adequate acoustic tiling is essential for privacy. I like the idea of a pager that lights up when it’s your turn. That seems like something that could be easily added.
I wish the nametags of staff properly ID’d any credentials the person possesses, so you know if you are speaking with a medically trained person or a scribe or what.
Having offices that are bright and cheery is definitely nice—my GI has lovely photos of trips he’s been on playing on a large monitor on waiting room. It’s very visually appealing and relaxing.
My dentist and lung doc have cable food programs running, which are ok for me but could be triggering for some others.
So far we haven’t had significant accessibility issues, but I can see how that could be a huge issue if doorways are too narrow, etc.
Yesterday was the first time I’ve experienced an imaging center table that could be lowered enough for me to get on it easily. Yes, I’m short but I’m not “little people” short. At other imaging centers my experience has ranged from uncomfortably awkward to downright painful, depending on why I was there. I appreciated a table that could be lowered and raised, and clearly so did the technician.
If the office is large enough to have more than one bathroom, why not make one toilet the so-called comfort height and the other the old, lower height, and direct patients to the one that’s better suited to their size. Grab bars in all bathrooms are a must.
I whole heartedly agree with the comments about sound transmission. I’ve overheard a lot of conversations that I wish I hadn’t, and I’m sure the other patient would be mortified to know how easily they could be heard.
My dentist in our former location ran photos of gorgeous scenery on TVs facing the treatment chairs. I wish more offices did that instead of news or talk shows.
I despise hearing others in their appointments and I keep in mind that everyone around can hear me too. It’s a scary thought considering I work in the local school and have been known by a lot of people.
Plus, shortly after I learned about my brain tumor - the first day after - some people at school knew all about it too - without me being the one to tell them. I’ve always suspected it was from the doctor’s office.
One of the comments in the linked page mentioned not liking patients undressing unconditionally instead of as needed.
I enjoyed the read. So many of them I was nodding my head.
I don’t like the paper gowns, but that’s not awful for me. The biggest one is the weight, and BP checks. It’s a bad trigger for me mentally - even if the numbers are good - and knowing they are going to do it (when it has no bearing on why I’m there!) spikes my anxiety to the point that I don’t want to go. And while I can and sometimes do just refuse, then I get anxious at the anticipation of the nurse rolling their eyes (which almost always happens).
The other is all of the redundancy. I call to make the appointment and tell them why I need to be there. I fill out a mountain of paperwork (very few places here have online stuff) about why I’m there with every single bit of info they can think of. I get there and tell them why I’m there. I get the stupid wt/BP check and they ask why I’m there. I sit in the office and the nurse comes in and I tell them why I’m there. 1 hour later (and usually 2+ around here) the doctor comes in “Why are you here?” ARGH!!! And after you’ve waited hours, I don’t think I’ve ever had a doctor talk to me for more than 10 minutes. Usually it’s about 5.
And I also hate making appointments 1 year in advance. Who knows what they will be doing? And more often than not - especially for the GYN - the doctor cancels on me because something has popped up. I don’t think I’ve ever made a first scheduled appointment with the GYN in 10+ years. Usually I might get in on the 3rd try. And because of that, you can’t ever just make an appointment because everything is booked! I would just love to be able to call a doctor an make an appointment within the next week.
Honestly, there’s not much about the whole doctor visit that I do like.
I’ve taken my dad to multiple appointments and most have decent offices. But for the life of me I have NO idea why every dental office can have an adjustable height chair and doctor’s offices think a 98 year old can step up and get on a short examining table. It’s ridiculous. I’ve refused a couple times to even make my dad get on a table. Screw it. They don’t even provide a rail to step up. Just told them I’d sue 'em if he fell. You can tell how happy I am about the shortsightedness.
My mom’s MDs either let her stay seated on the chair and examine her there or go on the table, whichever she prefers. Often there is an integrated step or step stool for folks who need one to get into table.
None of my mom’s mds have forced her to go from chair to table unless she volunteers. (Mom is 93 and pretty frail.)
There is a step–varies in height of course but never an integrated rail or side rail on a table. EVERY dental chair I’ve been in lowers to a low height to get in and then raised to height. Plus they have side arm of some type. Where are those in a doctor’s office?
Yes, you are right that a rail or even a lip could prevent a sad, bad spill from table to floor.
And consider that you have patients coming in on walkers. Let’s just throw those out and hope the frail person can maneuver onto a table often too high for them. The wheel is already invented–it’s not new–not like they don’t charge enough already to actually take care of someone.
Yes, considering the frail and elderly likely see the MDs more often than the more able-bodied, the criticisms of the med centers not taking this into account seems like a no-brainer.
My old clinic had vinyl tile floors, mismatched doors, a paper towel dispenser from the 1960s, formica counters with rounded edges circa 1985, and painted cinderblock walls so thick they nearly blocked cell service.
The fancy new clinic looks like a spa. Many of the floors are carpeted…and are stained already. The new doors are heavy frosted glass sliding doors…that kids love to play with leading to pinched fingers. The new paper towel dispenser is sleekly integrated high on the sink surround…and won’t release the paper towel, so 40 times each day (before and after examining each of 20 patient) I wrestle with the paper towel above my head while water runs down my arms and gets my sleeves wet. The countertops of my exam room desks are now made of quartz with sharp pointy corners right at eye level for any 3 year old bouncing around the room. So when I have a hyper kid I keep 1 hand covering the sharp corner while I use my other hand to deal with the computer. The new walls are paper thin, and you can hear everything. We docs suggested they retrofit sound proofing, but instead their “solution” was to install white noise machines to mask the conversations. So now I need to talk even louder to be heard over the white noise machines, so the patients in the next room can still hear me.
You wonder who is designing these spaces and if they’ve ever been to a doctor’s office ; ). My D’s oral surgeon’s office had carpet everywhere. She had a rough go coming out of the anesthesia and they rushed her out of recovery to make room for the next patient and she had bloody emesis all over their carpet. The receptionist noted they had just been professionally cleaned the day before. Not a good flooring choice!
That was my exact question!
In contrast my old building was obviously designed by someone who understood what doctors and patients need. I did not care about the ugly colors or the mismatched doors. That old building helped me do my job.