5 Ways to Improve Pediatric Patient Experience in Your Medical Clinic

Children aren’t much different from adults in their hopes for experiences — both new and familiar. They seek comfort and a feeling of safety in most situations. Medical care is no exception. More reason than ever to improve the pediatric patient experience in your clinic.

Office environments, when designed with intention, can help to ease any fear, anxiety, or distrust of doctors a child may bring to an appointment. This helps to make sometimes difficult to treat patients more relaxed and easier to work with.

What are the most common barriers against improving pediatric patient experience?

Two challenges clinic’s must address with their patient experience:

  • Behavior
  • Fear

How pediatric patients act within your clinic can range from uncooperative in moments of discomfort, to a bad day, to consistently tough to deal with. This is often because fear and anxiety accompany many pediatric patients when it comes to appointments. These things are not always so much about your medical clinic, or even bedside manner, as they are about the overall anticipated experience, their previous experiences, and their perception of the environment.

Every time you meet these challenges with a heightened sensitivity to their experience, combined with a pediatric-centric environment, your clinic will grow — becoming a top tier provider in the minds of patients and parents. But how do you get there?


FIVE WAYS TO IMPROVE PEDIATRIC PATIENT EXPERIENCE IN YOUR CLINIC





1. Make it Personal

Young patients come to your clinic thinking about pinching, prodding, and often needles (a top trigger of fear). While none of those anticipations are completely inaccurate, there’s a lot more to their overall health than those brief moments of discomfort.

You can put them at ease by redirecting their attention away from their reason for being there during the first few minutes of your appointment with them.

  • Notice something about them and start your conversation/relationship there (e.g. shoes, color or type of clothing, etc).
  • Make the child comfortable by engaging with their parent or whoever accompanied them to the appointment and they will follow their guardian’s lead.

Essentially, shift the focus to their interests first and build rapport as a person they know. The result of this is likely to be a happier, and more compliant, young patient.


2. Familiarize Them with Your Tools and Equipment

Imagine what all the equipment in your treatment room looks like to a child. Otoscopes, swabs, and sphygmomanometers are often scary for an adult let alone a child, so it’s no wonder children have some hesitancy too.

Take a few minutes to introduce your young patients to the specific tools and technology you’ll be using for their appointment. Demonstrate it on yourself or on their parent first. Removing the unknown will help them to relax and make the process seem more normal.

  • Give your equipment “fun” names that will help lighten the mood before use.
  • Allow your patients to ask questions about a particular tool or technology.



3. Create Trust with Step-by-step Communication

Clearly explaining what you intend to do before you do it can help you earn trust from your pediatric patients. Think of it like a “show-and-tell” session at school.

  • Demonstrate to them (within reason based on their age and the procedure) what each tool does. Let them see the ear scope, the stethoscope, etc.
  • “Tell” them what’s about to happen next using friendly, non-threatening language.



4. Feature Child-friendly Themes and Distractions

A kid-centric environment sets the tone from when a family first arrives to when they get ready to leave. Paying special attention to details such as theming and hands-on amenities will pay dividends in keeping patients and families relaxed throughout their time in your clinic.

Update your waiting area with kid-friendly technology. Games, images, streaming video, etc. help them relax and feel at home in your reception area.

Don’t want to disturb other adult patients? Utilize low-tech options like coloring sheets, books, and kid’s magazines.



5. Think Like a Counsellor

Your practice might be medicine, but learning some behavior-management skills can help you handle challenging situations and create positive outcomes.

Good communication skills, patience, and some good old-fashioned adult figure presence can improve how your patients react.

  • Speak with your pediatric patients eye-to-eye. Get on their level and speak in ways that they can understand.
  • Use stories, a friendly tone, and any other ways to make your communication more kid-friendly. This helps your patients feel comfortable and at ease.
  • Ask about their life, their interests, sports, school, etc.


In conclusion, enhancing the pediatric patient experience in your clinic is not just a noble endeavor but a necessary one. Children, like adults, seek comfort and reassurance, and by addressing the barriers of behavior and fear, your clinic can become a top-tier provider in the eyes of both patients and parents. Implementing the five strategies outlined above – making it personal, familiarizing them with your tools, creating trust through step-by-step communication, incorporating child-friendly themes and distractions, and thinking like a counselor – can transform the way young patients perceive medical appointments. By creating a welcoming and supportive environment, you not only ease their anxiety but also build lasting relationships built on trust and compassion. Ultimately, investing in the well-being and comfort of pediatric patients will not only improve their experience but also contribute to their overall health and well-being.


IMPROVE YOUR PEDIATRIC PATIENT EXPERIENCE BY CREATING AN IDEAL ENVIRONMENT

Outstanding patient experience for children and families begins with a kid-centric mindset and environment. In essence, it’s an investment decision.

Invest in Your Patients

Valuing your patients and their families sets them up for a lifetime of positive health outcomes. The environment that you create directly helps patients have a more positive experience, encouraging them to think positively of medicine for years to come.

  • Reduce patient anxiety and enhance their relaxation.
  • Prime patients and families for their appointments.
  • Create positive health care experiences.

 Invest in Your Business

The medical space is more crowded than ever. Attention to details in your space can create an environment that sets you apart — something more important than ever with pediatric patients.

  • Generate interest in your community
  • Increase patient referrals
  • Incite positive reviews online


Interested to learn more? Check out these related resources for upgrading, renewing, and improving patient experience:

What is Patient Experience and Why Does It Matter?

How Theming Creates the Ultimate Brand for Your Business

Contact Imagination Design Studios (IDS) to get started transforming your office from a mundane to magical patient experience.

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6 Dental Offices That Show How Design Impacts Patients

Clinical and procedural innovations aren’t the only changes impacting the dental patient experience. Browsing dental office images shows us that design and ergonomic innovation is also enhancing how patients respond to dentistry.

Design standards can begin to blend into the “woodwork” – so to speak. What was once an innovative or stylish tweak to an otherwise sterile, clinical environment might now go unnoticed. Familiarity creates a need for freshness.

Dental office design has taken on a more “high-touch,” “human” feel. Available dental office images or a relevant search will verify that decor and design are a strong influence on the overall patient experience.

SIX DENTAL OFFICE IMAGES THAT HIGHLIGHT THE POWER OF DESIGN ON PATIENT EXPERIENCE

1. Bright, Colorful, and Illuminating Dental Offices

Paint is a default fix for transforming a space. That said, it’s essential to go with colors that not only “pop” but also create a mood general feel.

Brightness with bold accents remains a trend leader. Seek colors that invigorate and match your practice theme.

Lighting and the fixtures that frame it are also an essential mood-setter. Natural lighting that brings the outdoors inside your reception and clinical areas can lift an otherwise sterile feeling environment.


2. Entertaining, Engaging, and Themed Dental Offices

A themed dental office design helps relax patients. There’s an appeal for children, families, and adults when they are drawn into your space via entertaining elements.

Entertainment can be framed in a variety of ways.

  • A themed movie area/room.
  • Television monitors above treatment room chairs.
  • Interactive decor and gaming areas.

Engagement and theming also personalizes your dental office environment.

  • Highlight local artists and their artwork (e.g. paintings, ceramic designs, etc).
  • Feature artwork from local or area students.
  • Build out your design around common or popular themes that are fun, child/family-centric, and inviting.


3. Open and Minimalist Dental Offices

An open treatment area helps create psychological “air” for patients. This stands in contrast to the traditional, closed-off, isolated layout.

Minimal design features allow for lighting enhancements and help prevent the space from feeling closed in. Openness allows for breathing room so patients feel more in common with the environment.


4. Comfortable, Relaxed, and Homey Dental Offices

Rows of chairs and stacks of magazines on reception area tables have been a design standard for years. Contrast that with carefully spaced comfortable chairs, a warm fireplace, flat screen tv monitors, a pub-table workspace, and self-serve amenities.

Patients who feel at home are more likely to stay loyal and refer others.


5. Posh, Unique, and Trendy Dental Offices

Glam or posh design doesn’t have to feel stuffy or uncomfortable. It’s more about creating an appeal that perhaps is more suited to your upscale patient base.

Urban or trendy suburban dental offices can attract and retain patients with a design that represents the demographic you serve.

A unique design footprint helps distinguish your dental office from the templated, every-practice look and feel. Again, theming, colors, and decor that is appropriate to your specific demographic will help enhance the patient experience for your unique practice culture.


6. Kid and Family-friendly Dental Offices

Anxiety in children is a common reason for designing around a theme. Kid-friendly theming helps pediatric patients relax before, during, and after their appointment(s).

A child-centric environment also helps parents/adults feel supported in their child’s dental care. Themed amenities create positive anticipation ahead of each dental visit.


These dental office images are a cross-section of intentional design strategies. The essence of each is that they appeal to your particular dental niche and demographic – creating an engaging, long-term patient experience.



Upgrade your dental office design and improve your patient experience.

Take your patient care and engagement to new levels. You’ll stand out from other service providers when you provide a unique dental experience that’s influenced by your design choices.

  • Reduce patient anxiety and enhance their relaxation
  • Prime patients and families for their appointments
  • Create positive dental care experiences

Maintain your edge in the crowded dental service space. Attention to design details can transform your environment and the overall patient experience.

  • Create “buzz” in the community you serve
  • Accelerate patient referrals
  • Generate positive online reviews

Check out these design-themed resources to upgrade or renew your patient experience:

How to Create a Unique Dental Experience in 2021 (and Beyond)

A Practical Guide to Creating an Exceptional Patient Experience

Case Study – Adding Theming to Increase Profitability and Patient Satisfaction

Contact Imagination Design Studios (IDS) to get started transforming your office from a mundane to magical patient experience.

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What is the Future of Pediatric Medical Office Design?

Design inspiration is about more than creativity. That’s especially true for the future of pediatric medical office design.

Young patients and their families require design considerations that create:

  • Confidence in the care environment.
  • Playfulness that engages their emotions.
  • Hope for positive outcomes.

Those elements function best when they work together in a flexible, high-performance environment. That said, the pediatric patient experience relies on medical care excellence, technology, and interactive patient engagement for comforting care desired by children and families.


What’s Driving the Future of Pediatric Medical Office Design?

Pediatric patients are presenting with increasingly complex care cases. Teams with multidisciplinary care plans are equipped to treat young patients these days.

Those realities are impacting how the pediatric care environment is designed. Spaces are required to adapt for the sake of the pediatric patient care protocols, their families, and the teams who treat them.

It makes sense also that spaces are being designed to accommodate a cross-section of specialists in one location. This keeps the family’s care accessible without emotionally upsetting delays.

Think about it this way:

A cozy waiting area.

A fun way to create wayfinding for children.

Basically, intentional design adapts to the emotional journey that the need for care creates.

WHAT THE FUTURE OF THE PEDIATRIC MEDICAL OFFICE DESIGN LOOKS LIKE

Growing pediatric practices share some common best-practice design benefits. These are somewhat fundamental to how you can intentionally design or re-design your practice.


Positive Patient and Family Engagement Features Throughout the Facility

The idea of distraction is more about creating a relaxing, non-aversive response the moment a child/family arrives. It involves maximizing the availability of age-appropriate experiences and activities.

Keep in mind that some pediatric patients range from very young (toddlers and preschoolers) to elementary-aged children to teenagers. Make sure your design encompasses each age range or demographic or that it provides spaces that would appeal accordingly.

Hands-on bead tables, play boards like KeeBees, and slides are great ways to keep younger patients occupied and entertained.



Form and function design can be tailored to the varying scope of children and families served.

  • Interactive, tactile walls, playrooms, and spaces dedicated to young patients and their parent(s)/family members.
  • High-tech spaces with age-appropriate technology for teenagers.
  • Colors and textures that create a relaxing, at-home feel.



Family-centric Design That Encourages Partnership in Care

Caregiver identities can vary. Whoever arrives at your facility the core value should be optimum care for the child/children.

Your design can, and should, also support the supportive caregiver role. Space can be created to highlight and practically nurture this vital adult-provider relationship on behalf of pediatric patients.

  • Long-term care provisions can include family sleeping pods, kitchenettes, laundry facilities, and more.
  • Onsite technology capable zones can assist short- and long-term patient families with remote working, schooling, or other routine functions.

The common denominator of your family-centric design is comfort and familiarity. Your attention to detail can help families and their child/children adapt to the upheaval that a medical appointment or a required stay can produce.


Think of this as an emotionally sensitive “traffic-flow” feature. In some ways, it’s more than the traditional, linear layout you might associate with a hotel – a long interior hallway of exam, treatment, or inpatient rooms.

A useful (and better) image is that of a “neighborhood.” Each “block” or “zone” has its own unique identity appropriate to the patient’s age, etc. This idea helps reduce the stress associated with the common, traditional layout.

Jungle and Undersea themed murals installed on different floors of a children’s hospital.

Via Cory Klein Photography – Different colors are used to represent different wards.


Patients, parents, and caregivers feel more at home physically and emotionally. Plus, any built-in theming provides a positive distraction that also inspires trust and a sense of calm.


Enhance Standard of Care Essentials Through Design

Care that’s efficient, safe, and secure is expected. Even so, these essentials must be prioritized throughout the design process.

The healing environment mindset helps guide design strategies that enhance patient safety, security, and care efficiency.

  • Waiting rooms, treatment rooms, and follow-up care areas can be designed to reduce provider stress for safer, more predictable care outcomes.
  • Filter all design features through a safety-security grid that considers all points of contact, infection-prevention and control, and provider/team workflows.

And speaking of the previously mentioned “healing environment”…


Evaluate Your Design Around the Healing Results Desired for Each Patient Experience

Design should embrace the human element. Keep this related thought in mind:

”Understand the human impact of design. Consider daylighting, noise control and acoustics, air quality, privacy, social support and positive distractions in designing a healing environment.” [1]

This insight affirms the idea that the patient space can be compartmentalized by design.

  • Keep treatment space separate physically (and emotionally) from inpatient spaces.
  • Design with special needs in mind including those with autism and who require low or significantly reduced stimulation.
  • Provide connection to nature when possible. Outdoor venues can be included in your design for specific therapies and/or to create a healing, calming, stress-free environment to support care.

Natural views help patients feel calm.


These design prompts are only the beginning of what the future of pediatric medical practice design could include. Let your design plans be shaped by these or use them as seeds to grow your layout.


Create an environment that embraces the future of pediatric medical office design.

Check out these related resources to upgrade or renew your patient experience:

New Children’s Hospital Gets a Little IDS Magic

Case Study – Adding Theming to Increase Profitability and Patient Satisfaction

A Practical Guide to Creating an Exceptional Patient Experience

Create a Memorable Patient Experience Through Dental Office Interior Design and Decor

An outstanding patient experience for children and families begins with a kid-centric mindset and intentionally designed environment.

  • Reduce patient/family/caregiver anxiety and enhance their relaxation through age-appropriate design features
  • Prime patients/families for their appointments, procedures, follow-up, and potential stays
  • Create positive experiences for outpatient and inpatient care


Contact Imagination Design Studios (IDS) to get started transforming your pediatric medical office to embrace the future of design effectiveness.

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How to Help Your Pediatric Patients Overcome Their Fear of the Dentist

Kids have big imaginations. Unfortunately, this big imagination can imagine scenarios that create fear and anxiety. That reality should mean creating a priority to help your pediatric patients overcome their fear of the dentist. But why?

For the Sake of Their Health

It’s common to avoid those things that create stress and fear. In some instances, this is a healthy reaction. Even so, in the case of dental anxiety or fear of the dentist, avoidance can produce unhealthy outcomes. The results can lead to a short- and long -term impact on a child’s oral health.

Delayed or cancelled dental appointments or treatment produce a downward spiral. Dental pain, general health problems, increased anxiety, and more costly or complex dental treatment can be traced to dental fear that’s not confronted and overcome.


Why Kids Fear the Dentist

First of all, dental fear is a common experience. In fact, it’s estimated that 20% of school age children fear visiting the dentist.

The general issue of dental phobia is categorized among other diagnosed phobias. But the big question is why?

Dental anxiety can be triggered by a number of experiences including:

  • A previous traumatic experience
  • A fear of needles
  • A conditional response promoted by other family members

It’s essential to a child’s oral and general health that their fear of the dentist be sourced and solved. There are promising and practical steps to help kids feel at ease, comfortable, and confident during a visit to the dentist.


HOW TO HELP KIDS OVERCOME THEIR FEAR OF THE DENTIST

Encourage Parents to Model a Healthy Relationship with Dentistry


Parents and the significant adults in a child’s life set the tone for how a child interacts with others. Role modeling can and should include health related encounters like dentistry.

Any talk or response of fear will naturally be picked up by a child. Likewise, positive language and experiences will be associated as well.

Parents can lead the way by:

  • Allowing their child/children to accompany them to a dental appointment (e.g. a routine teeth cleaning).
  • Encouraging them to ask questions about what the dentist is doing during an appointment
  • Sharing how their teeth feel after a cleaning, procedure, etc.
  • Modeling daily oral hygiene and asking their child/children to join them while brushing and flossing.



Educate Them Early and Often About Dentistry

Early adopters of dentistry will be less likely to experience extended bouts of dental anxiety. Keep in mind that they might not be completely fearless, but they will be more comfortable in the dental environment.


Also consider adding some age-level educational resources to help acquaint kids with what to expect when visiting the dentist. Coloring books, associative games, and youth-oriented books will help educate them about dental appointments, routine procedures, and generally how to care for their developing teeth.



Engage Their Curiosity with a Preliminary Office Visit

Their first visit to the dentist doesn’t have to involve an examination. Why not allow them to experience a somewhat “hands-on,” get-acquainted tour of the dental office?

The environment will be less intimidating if they can walk around, smell the aromas, see the instruments, sit in a chair, etc. A child will begin to make a positive association with dentistry the more they’re exposed to the environment prior to an actual dental appointment.


Equip Them with Positive Vibes, Proactive Habits, and Rewarding Outcomes

Words matter. And when speaking about dentistry it’s vital to choose a positive, inviting tone.

Equally so, good habits are formed when actions are positive instead of negative. Saying, “you have to brush your teeth…” carries the tone that it’s a burden to do so. Instead, make a positive association with dental care by referring to brushing and flossing as a natural part of the daily health routine.

And it can help matters to provide some incentive for being courageous about a dental visit. Find some reasonable motivation and offer it as a “reward” for a child’s positive embrace of a dental appointment.


Create a Calming Environment and You’ll See a Decrease in Fear of the Dentist and an Increase in a Positive Perception of Dentistry

An outstanding patient experience for children and families begins with a kid-centric mindset and environment. Check out these related resources for upgrading, renewing, and providing anxiety-free dental visits:

6 Calming Strategies for Kids Nervous About Healthcare Appointments

Download Our White Paper: Alleviating Patient Anxiety Through Office Theming

A Practical Guide to Creating an Exceptional Patient Experience

Valuing your patients and their families sets them up for a lifetime of positive health outcomes. And the environment you create can help you achieve a better patient experience.

  • Reduce patient anxiety and enhance their relaxation
  • Prime patients and families for their appointments
  • Create positive dental care experiences

Contact Imagination Design Studios (IDS) to get started transforming your office into an anxiety-free patient experience.

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