The quality and quantity of lighting is an important consideration in the speed of recovery and well-being in healthcare. Most healthcare activities are performed indoors with use of good hospital lighting design .
Traditionally, healthcare lighting is set at one level with a constant CCT. This is not consistent with the human circadian rhythms where during the day is regulates levels of dopamine, seratonin, cortisol and melatonin. Without regular and direct exposure to daylight lighting, the circadian rhythm can be disrupted, which can lead to health issues such as sleep problems as light and darkness control hormone production.
Some LED lighting provides capability to dim and “tune” the correlated colour temperature which can improve physical conditions for patients. Carefully designed lighting can support circadian rhythms in patients.
The hospital lighting design can be provided by LED dimmable fixtures e. g. able to be tuned from 1800 to 6500 K.
Human centric lighting is being increasingly installed, especially in hospitals where the patients spend almost 100 % of their time indoors, and artificial lighting that mimics the non-visual, physiological effects of daylight has been shown to be beneficial
Patient rooms lighting
- Access to nature and daylight helps recovery.
- Adding light to walls and ceiling creates a sensation of brightness even if the illuminance is low.
- Built-in LED table lighting can be useful to aid visibility in tasks and avoid disturbing other patients.
- In the morning, bright light can contribute to the patient’s circadian rhythm and overall wellbeing. Dimming control for the general lighting provides flexibility that allows a high illuminance in the morning and during cleaning activities.
- At night-time red night lighting can help prevents disturbance of the patient’s circadian rhythm.
- LED lighting can provide human centric lighting that mimics the non-visual, physiological effects of daylight including the facilities mentioned above.
- Individual control e. g. by mobile table light and reading lamps is often desirable.
Corridors and Stairs lighting
- The lighting uniformity must be sufficient for safe movement without dark areas.
- Lighting of stairs should ensure that treads look bright and risers look dark. This implies lighting from upstairs rather than from downstairs. Further, a mix between diffuse lighting and downward directed light creates good perception of space, facial recognition and form shaping characteristics (good visibility of the steps).
- Corridor and stairwell lighting is typically always turned on. Savings can be obtained by dimming night lighting in corridors, and if a reddish or amber colour is used this helps prevent disturbance of the patient’s circadian rhythm and sleep patterns.