For anyone responsible for running a medical or health facility, we imagine that purchasing commercial furniture will not be as high on your priority list as patient care and purchasing the equipment required to aid their well-being.
Whilst that is entirely understandable, it cannot be ignored that, at some point, the acquisition of commercial furniture for several reasons will be necessary.
The most important of the commercial furniture you purchase will be that for patients or residents of your health care facility. Examples could be chairs suitable for elderly residents in an aged care facility, or tamperproof furniture in a mental health facility.
However, thought must also be given to the commercial furniture you purchase for non-clinical matters, such as the chairs for your waiting room or rooms.
Waiting room chairs will be used by a variety of people. Almost certainly this will include friends and relatives of patients or residents who are waiting to see their loved ones.
It can also be those in a waiting room will be patients who are waiting to see a nurse, doctor, or consultant. You may even have a general waiting area for those visiting your health facility for other reasons.
Your selection of waiting room chairs requires some thought for several reasons.
To explain what they are, we have created a simple guide as to what you should be looking for when purchasing waiting room chairs for your health facility.
Comfort Should Be Your #1 Priority
Regardless of why any individual is visiting your healthcare facility and having to wait, you will want them to be as comfortable as possible.
This is why taking time to assess that the waiting room chairs you purchase will provide sufficient comfort is important.
This is especially so if those waiting are elderly persons or mental health patients awaiting a health assessment given that the former may require additional support, and you want the latter in a calm and relaxed state of mind.
Durability Is A Must
The array of different people who use waiting room chairs will be extremely diverse. It could range from young children visiting an elderly relative that use the chair as a climbing frame, to large people who are awaiting an appointment to address their weight.
You may even have a person with mental health problems who becomes agitated or violent and decides to throw one of the chairs. For all of these reasons, strong and durable waiting room chairs are essential.
Ensure They Suit Their Surroundings
Health facility interiors, and especially their décor, are usually designed to suit those who are patients or residents there.
For this reason, you will find healthcare facilities that focus on children’s needs with bright colourful interiors whereas an aged care facility might use pastels and more conservative designs, for example.
The point here is that your waiting room chairs should not look out of place and instead complement the existing interior design.
Cleaning Them Must Be Easy
Again, we highlight the point that many individuals will use a waiting room and as each day passes, chairs will become grubbier, and occasionally even filthy due to children with muddy shoes climbing on them, for example.
This points to the need for waiting room chairs to be easy to clean, which also means the amount of time and money spent cleaning them will be minimal.
For advice on which chairs are easiest to clean, seek advice from your commercial furniture supplier.
They Should Be Maintenance-Free
Given the number of responsibilities you are bound to have running a healthcare facility, we imagine adding the organising and implementation of a maintenance schedule for your waiting room chairs would not be welcome.
As such, it is recommended you purchase waiting room chairs that are designated as ‘zero-maintenance’ other than cleaning them.
