Patient-Friendly ER Lobby Designed to Reduce Stress

A new emergency department lobby at Portland, OR-based Adventist Medical Center is designed to help patients relax and relieve their anxiety while they wait.

The 2,500-square-foot waiting room was modeled after a hotel lobby, and features an oversized fireplace, plasma televisions, a family-friendly seating area, free Internet access, and multiple windows for natural lighting.

Tom Russell, CEO of Adventist Medical Center, says patients who come to the emergency department are under great physical and emotional stress, and the design of the new lobby can help alleviate these feelings.

"We believe it's important to treat the whole health of our patients and that we initiate the healing process the moment they walk through our doors," Russell says. "By designing a comfortable lobby area that encourages relaxation, we are able to help prepare patients and their families for treatment and expedite the healing process."

The lobby was designed in collaboration with Adventist physicians, who provided their input on how to help emergency patients relax. Other staff and members of the community also provided suggestions to Peterson Kolberg Architects as well.

Kelli Westcott, MD, vice-chair of emergency services for Adventist Health, says the emergency department is one of the few places in a hospital people do not make plans to visit. And when they do have to make a trip there, the patients sometimes face life-threatening problems that create a stressful environment.

"Families face stressful times of uncertainty during these visits," Westcott says. "Family members and patients alike benefit from the spacious, comfortable environment of the emergency department lobby."

Westcott says the philosophy of Adventist Health is based on whole-person care that includes caring for the patient's mind, body, and spirit. Although a person who arrives in the ED is typically filled with anxiety and fear, Adventist Health designed the new ED lobby so that a sense of calm and tranquility can be fostered the moment they walk through the doors.

As a result, it reduces further risks of stress and enhances safety, Westcott says.

"Our calming palate of colors, strategically designed fireplace, carefully chosen artwork, and comfortable furniture were selected for much more than an aesthetic purpose—these choices were made with the patient in mind," Wescott says. "This attention to detail is prevalent throughout the new pavilion, which also houses the Northwest Cardiology Center and expanded oncology services."

The nonprofit, 302-bed Adventist Medical Center serves the Greater Portland and Vancouver, WA, metropolitan area. Its emergency room treated more than 46,000 patients in 2009.

The opening of the emergency department lobby was one of Adventist's three-phase expansion. The first phase was a new 181,000 square foot medical pavilion that opened in May, which increased AMC's emergency department capacity by 33% and unveiled its Northwest Regional Heart Center. The other phase of the project expanded the hospital's emergency department to 32 beds.