OF SUNLIGHT:
TURN IT ON.
Using Dynamic Glass in Healthcare.
As the healthcare industry puts more emphasis on patient satisfaction and quality of care, the design of the built environment in healthcare will become more important than ever. Using Suntuitive Dynamic Glass in healthcare helps to maintain a connection to the outdoors and having access to natural light. This in turn helps patients heal faster, making for a shorter hospital stay.
Most hospital rooms tend to be impersonal, sterile, and harsh. Not exactly a picture perfect place for healing. A growing number of hospitals and healthcare organizations are choosing dynamic glass for their buildings in order to create a more conducive environment for healing as well as improve the energy efficiency of their facilities.
Some of the benefits of using dynamic glass in a healthcare environment are:
Patient Outcomes
Since the early 1980’s, natural light has been studied in numerous journals, connecting it to important health outcomes for patients. In a study Walch et al examined spinal surgery patients and randomly assigned them to two conditions: a ward with light versus a ward with the light blocked. Being exposed to more than 46% light, the patients tended to report less distress and pains than did those in the dark ward, and they also needed 22% fewer painkillers, which led to 21% savings in total treatment costs.
Infection Control
Shades and integral blinds not only come with high maintenance costs, they also introduce the potential for the spread of bacteria and infection. Using Suntuitive Dynamic Glass in healthcare introduces the ability to mitigate glare and control solar heat, allowing for reduced use of blinds or shading devices. This helps hospitals to lower infection control issues that come with curtains and shades.
Sound Proofing
Suntuitive Dynamic Glass comes in a laminated construction IGU, which carries with it the benefit of reducing the sound of outside noise for those within the building. Suntuitive helps create an indoor environment that allows hospital staff to concentrate, undisturbed by outside noise and patients to rest easy without being bothered by the street noise of sirens and other passing vehicles.
Overall Staff Improvement
It’s no secret that nursing and healthcare professionals work in stressful environments and work through incredibly delicate situations daily. Exposure to natural light keeps staff alert and focused and reduces the opportunity for mistakes. Natural light in hospital operating rooms helps medical staff maintain alertness, while reliving stress and enhancing their mood. Hospital staff who are exposed to sunlight in the workplace have, on average, better relationships with coworkers and are more likely to maintain a good mood over long, stressful shifts.