Lighting in hospitals does more than provide illumination. Hospitals with LED lighting notice patients have a shorter recovery time. Patient depression is also reduced, along with some cases of dementia. Proper lighting also supports the mental health and circadian rhythms of medical staff working long or overnight shifts.

Here’s a deeper look at the benefits of proper lighting in hospitals.

4 Benefits of LED Lighting for Hospitals

There are many benefits of LED lighting in hospitals, but today we are going to look at 4 unique and often overlooked benefits that do not focus on energy and maintenance savings. Let’s take a look.

Support for Circadian Rhythm

Using lighting controls that allow medical staff to adjust brightness and color tones is often employed in healthcare facilities. Hospitals, senior care facilities, and treatment centers all benefit from lighting that helps regulate the body’s internal clock.

• The light intensity and color can increase or reduce melatonin and other hormone productions that affect patients’ and staff’s mood and health. It can also make staff more alert or help patients stay calm and relaxed.
• Tunable (adjustable) lighting is also being used to help treat sleep disorders, jet lag, and other minor conditions.

Improve Medical Staff Efficiency

Medical personnel are always expected to perform to the best of their abilities. Working in poor lighting conditions can lead to errors.

• Improper lighting in hospitals can make surgeries more difficult to perform. Surgeons may have trouble seeing during the procedure. Nurses may feel exhaustion more acutely, and anesthesiologists can develop issues with stress. Employing bright, cool, and task-specific lighting can reduce feelings of burnout and stress among medical staff.
• Nurses, physicians and other medical personnel often work long hours. Dim lighting can make it more difficult to concentrate on overnight shifts. Eye fatigue is closely related to light levels. With tunable lighting, staff can customize brightness levels for each task.
• Healthcare facilities typically have high energy usage. Renovating these facilities to meet society’s changing healthcare needs often includes installing lighting controls. Tunable lighting reduces energy usage, lowering costs.

Provide Better Patient Care

Evidence is starting to show that controllable lighting can help reduce pain and depression among patients. It can also help support the body’s circadian rhythms and improve sleep. All of these factors play a role in a patient’s recovery process. With tunable lighting, healthcare facilities can adjust the light to meet the specific needs of the space.

• Senior care facilities have specific lighting needs. Tunable white lighting systems easily adjust brightness levels to help support sleep. Conditions like Alzheimer’s can worsen when an individual’s natural sleep patterns are interrupted. Being able to adjust the light to meet the task or situation is shown to improve patient care.
• Color tuning controls adjust the light’s temperature. Warmer colors help with patient relaxation while cooler ones help medical staff stay alert.
• Simple lighting controls help ensure the space is comfortable for patients during the day and at night.

Keep Track of Medical Equipment

Hospitals and other healthcare facilities can also take advantage of lighting sensors that work with tags. Placing the tags on medical equipment allows sensors in the lighting system to track its precise location. Instead of wasting precious time searching for a specific piece of equipment, the lighting system can ping its location.

Contact Action Services Group About Lighting for Hospitals

Let us help you install the right lighting to improve patient care. It can also improve the health of your medical staff.

To discuss the benefits of an LED retrofit or Next Gen LED upgrade, call 610-558-9773, emailing [email protected], or schedule a call that fits your needs by clicking the button below.