Patients experience less pain in daylight!
Patients experience less pain in daylight
Adequate access to daylight in hospital and treatment rooms is vital for the health of patients. Research studies show that hospital patients that have access to sufficient daylight experience less pain, recover faster and require less medication. Patients in hospital wards with improved levels of daylight took 25% less pain-relieving medication (decreasing the medication costs by more than 21%) and their length of stay decreased by up to 41%.
Daylight energises patients
Daylight provides positive energy, making patients feel better. In addition, natural light also influences the sleep rhythm, people's sensitivity to stress, feelings of depression and concentration. Daylight in hospitals or care institutions improves the general well-being of patients. However, daylighting is not always taken into account during the design phase of a healthcare institution. Solatube tubular skylight systems can provide diffused natural daylight into every almost any hospital or treatment room, without the disadvantage of solar gain (heat from sunlight).
A safe working environment with natural light
Sufficient daylight in healthcare facilities not only increases the well-being of patients but also that of hospital staff. Nurses who work in natural light have been proven to have lower blood pressure. With sufficient daylight in the work environment, they communicate more often with colleagues, laugh more often and are able to keep patients in a better mood. Doctors and practitioners are also proven to benefit by working in natural daylight as increased concentration levels reduces the potential for mistakes to occur. Daylight also increases human alertness, generally making the working environment safer.
Case Study:
The North London Nuffield Hospital is a private hospital with 45 bedrooms offering a range of services and special clinics from acupuncture and bone densitometry, through to vasectomies and X-Rays. While its primary focus is on providing excellence in the clinical and medical care it offers, the hospital is keen to make its patients’ stays in the hospital as pleasant as possible too and careful consideration is given to the design and ambience of patients’ rooms.
Issue
When it was decided to turn an unused internal space into four additional day care rooms at the hospital, managers were keen to explore how natural light could be brought into this otherwise gloomy area formerly illuminated by fluorescent lighting.
Initially, managers considered using traditional skylights but had concerns for potential security and safety in having an expanse of glazing immediately above patients’ beds. Furthermore, their installation would be quite expensive, time consuming and disruptive. They then explored the possibility of using sun pipe style tubular skylights and were quickly convinced that these were the ideal products for their project.
Solution
Ten Solatube Ø 53 cm Daylighting Systems were installed, each fitted with a remote controlled daylight dimmer to allow patients to control the light during the day if they wished.
Customer comments
As soon as I spoke to Solatube it was obvious that they were much better informed than other companies in this field. They listened to the issues we were trying to address and were keen to help us find the right solution. We are very pleased with the effect the Solatube tubular skylights have had in the day rooms in which they have been installed and are considering how we could use them at other Nuffield Hospitals to gain similar benefits.
Perry Petworth Assistant Projects Manager
Daylight delivers significant benefits, both physical and mental:
• Boost the immune system: Vitamin D from exposure to daylight is essential to the immune system, and can provide a boost so that you can fight off disease more effectively.
• Lower resting heart rate: Studies suggest that sunlight can help lower your pulse rate, improving cardiovascular health.
• Reduce stress: You can bring down your stress level with the help of proper exposure to sunlight. Taking some time to enjoy the sun can help you sleep better as you decrease your stress level.
For more information and pricing, email info@solatubescotland.co.uk or call Matthew on 07778 283 427 or check out our Ultimate Guide to Solatubes