Staying WELL – Improving safety and comfort in your medical practice

Patients hope to feel well. They expect your practice to be well-equipped. They hope you do your job well. They want to be well-cared for.  

Your staff would like to be paid well. They hope to feel well. They want to perform well.  

Do well ‘well’

Given the power of ‘well’, your medical practice may be interested in the WELL Building Standard™ (current version WELL v2™). The Standard was developed by practitioners, public health professionals and building scientists around the world. The WELL concepts are:  

• Air 
• Water 
• Nourishment 
• Light 
• Movement 
• Mind  
• Community 
• Thermal Comfort 
• Sound 
• Materials 

Previous articles from Evoke Projects covered the first seven concepts (visit our website if you missed out!). Now, we look at how Thermal Comfort, Sound and Materials affect wellness in your healthcare practice. 

Thermal Comfort concept

Thermal comfort is probably the most contentious of the WELL concepts. One person’s sauna is another person’s igloo. Medical settings are a little protected from personal preference because infection control and recommended temperatures for storage and equipment take precedence.  

Non-medical rooms, such as administration and reception areas, will appreciate consideration of personal preferences. Due to subjectivity, WELL indicates that aiming for an acceptable thermal environment for at least 80% of occupants is probably as much as you can do!  

In most cases, a high quality HVAC system will already be providing optimum thermal comfort. For example, WELL’s Humidity Control can be achieved with a mechanical system that maintains relative humidity between 30% and 60% at all times. 

A ducted air conditioning system with zones, smart Wi-Fi sensors, timers and geofencing / energy saving capability will save money when the practice is empty.  

Even if you meet the Standard, some people will still be uncomfortable. You might propose the following: 

Cool down: 

• Desk fan or mini-USB fan 
• Avoid desks that catch the afternoon sun 
• Keep two cooling towels in the fridge so there’s always a fresh one  
• Drink plenty of water 
• Take regular breaks 
• Wear linen clothing  

Warm up: 

• More clothing layers, particularly wool 
• Hot drinks instead of cold 
• Space heaters 
• Frequent movement around the practice and taking the stairs when possible. 

Sound

We all know how distracting noise can be. It may also directly impact health and well-being, causing sleep disturbance and hypertension.  

Noise travels through walls, above walls and through walls. Acoustic panels and sound masking are the best weapons. Playing music in treatment rooms (especially if you can offer a choice to suit the patient) will give patients a different noise to focus on and help them to relax.  

The most important actions under the Standard are: 

• Sound Mapping to identify sources of noise and look for solutions. Label acoustic zones according to whether they are intended to be loud, quiet, mixed, circulation zones or areas with no significant sound. Make a plan for reprogramming or mitigating sound transmission between loud zones that border quiet zones.  
• Outline acoustical solutions and a timeline for implementation with a focus on managing acoustical comfort, background noise, speech privacy, reverberation time and/or impact noise.  

Materials

The WELL Materials concept aims to reduce human exposure, whether direct or through environmental contamination, to chemicals that may impact health during the construction, remodelling, furnishing and operation of buildings. 

There are three preconditions within the WELL Standard: 

• Material Restrictions – To reduce or eliminate human exposure to building materials known to be hazardous, specifically asbestos, mercury and lead. 
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• Interior Hazardous Materials Management – Manage risks of human exposure to hazardous materials ubiquitously used in past construction practices, such as asbestos, lead and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). 
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• CCA and Lead Management – Mitigate risks of human exposure to chromate copper arsenate (CCA) and lead. 

WELL also has optimisations under the Standard, which will further improve well-being. For example: 

• VOC Restrictions – Minimise the impact of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can irritate airways and skin. VOCs may be present in cleaning products, paint, adhesives, composite wood, flooring, wall panels, insulation and furniture. Work with a medical design and fit-out company that will help you choose low-VOC emitting materials in your practice.  
• Materials Optimisation – Wherever possible, select natural and sustainable materials. Bamboo, cork, reclaimed/recycled wood and copper are good for both hygiene and the environment.  
• Cleaning Products and Protocols – Provide cleaning effectiveness by selecting less hazardous products and establishing adequate cleaning protocols and practices. 

Well Places™ make good business sense

By optimising thermal comfort, sound and materials usage, you are looking after the safety, health and well-being of staff and patients. 

While health and wellness are important, a well place also makes good business sense. Healthy staff have reduced absenteeism, a better attitude and motivation. Well staff provide better customer service.  A healthcare practice that makes patients feel well encourages loyalty and regular health checks. All these factors impact your bottom line and long-term business health. 

Well Places™ is trademarked by Evoke Projects. 

An experienced healthcare fit-out company will help you create a well practice. Please call Evoke Projects on 1300 720 692 for more information.