What’s the worst part of going to the doctor? Waiting. Sitting in an uncomfortable chair in a boring, sterile room, next to someone watching a loud video on their smartphone for an hour before you get to your appointment is not the best experience. You can’t help but wonder: how many of the other people in this room are infectious?

The patient experience has become one of the most important aspects of healthcare, though it seems like waiting room design hasn’t caught on just yet. This is your opportunity to make a strong first impression, and for most practices it is going to waste.

Wait times, which are often out of staff control, are another frustrating aspect of the waiting room. Eliminating wait is impossible, however taking steps to minimize it can greatly improve the patient experience. For those situations where waiting is unavoidable, some upgrades to optimize the experience are just what you need to keep patients happy.

Here are 6 strategies to optimize the waiting room experience:

1. New furniture
   Waiting rooms all look much the same; uncomfortable metal chairs, bulky end tables with old magazines, with maybe a TV with sports or news switched on. These rooms were designed decades ago, and have been left mostly unchanged ever since. However, these rooms are incredibly uncomfortable for patients to wait in. In extreme cases, it can feel like you’re being held hostage.Rather than having all patients waiting together in uncomfortable chairs, try splitting them up into different clusters based on what type of patient they are; a coffee table surrounded by chairs for families, a quiet area off to the side for busy professionals, and a small play area for children. The seats should also be movable. Patients will be more cautious about remaining seated close to strangers after the COVID-19 pandemic.The style and color of the furniture should be consistent with the branding of your practice. Those looking for a modern and cutting-edge feel will want to go with modern furniture that reflects that. Those wanting a more comfortable and welcoming environment will want warm colors and natural materials.

2. A waiting room liaison
   Being left alone in the waiting room makes patients feel the practice doesn’t value them or their time. Feeling appreciated is a crucial component of a good patient experience. A waiting room liaison, whose entire job will be to ensure patients are comfortable and feel valued, will go a long way towards solving this issue. Patients will be attended to from the moment they walk in to the moment they leave.A liaison is simply a staff member responsible for greeting patients as they enter and ensuring they are comfortable while they wait. They can further improve the experience by familiarizing themselves with frequently returning patients, getting to know them in order to form strong connections and more easily organize follow-up appointments.

3. Activities to pass the time
   Waiting around for the doctor to see you with nothing to do to pass the time can be both boring and frustrating. Providing an activity, any activity no matter how simple, can make the wait seem far shorter than it is. The first step is free wi-fi, giving patients the chance to entertain themselves, but why not go further?Some individual desks or work tables for busy professionals looking to get work done while they wait, with plentiful ports for charging any of their devices, is a must have if you have the space. Patients are often forced to miss work to see their doctor, so helping them stay productive is a fantastic way to maintain high levels of patient satisfaction, showing patients the practice values their time.

4. Provide updates on wait times
   Reducing wait times is the best way to improve patient satisfaction, though that is not always possible. In these situations, some practices have turned to the next best alternative, offering regular updates to patients on how long they will have to keep waiting. Events may occur that extend or reduce wait times for patients in the waiting room; informing them of these changes will show them you value their time.Your practice might even offer patients the ability to wait in their car until the doctor is ready to see them. This method of ‘virtual waiting’ was not uncommon during the pandemic, and for many it was the only way they could continue to operate during the worst periods. A secure, two-way messaging solution to communicate wait times and when its their turn to patients is a good investment.

5. A refined waiting experience
   Sometimes the best way to make waiting times more bearable is to add a touch of refinement or luxury to the experience. Bars, mini-fridges or other methods of pampering will go a long way to enhancing the patient experience.

6. Form strong connections
   Your practice is a local business within the community where you operate. As such, you should invest the time and effort necessary to connect with the locals and create a genuine sense of community within the office. Partner with other local business to promote healthy activities, such as hikes or farmer’s markets, and open up your office as a meeting place for community events.