6 Amazing Benefits of Indoor Plants for Your Doctor’s Office
Your waiting room has a huge impact on how patients feel when they step into your office.
And while you’re satisfied with most of your waiting room and office decor now, you still feel like you’re missing something. It seems like your patients are always stressed out and your staff exhausted.
Indoor plants may be just what you need.
In this post, we’ll tell you some of the biggest mental and physical health benefits of indoor plants.
You won’t believe how much a little bit of green can improve things in your doctor’s office.
They Can Reduce Stress Levels
While most people experience at least a bit of anxiety when they have a doctor’s appointment, about 20% of the population has a more extreme phobia of going to the doctor, commonly referred to as “White Coat Syndrome” or Iatrophobia.
Nervous patients can make others uncomfortable in addition to being unhappy themselves – so it’s certainly in your best interests to keep them calm.
Waiting room plants help keep everyone relaxed. In fact, recent studies show that people who work with plants in their office experience a 37% drop in anxiety levels and a 44% drop in anger and frustration levels.
This is likely due to the calming effects of the green color of plants and the fact that they remind us of nature – as well as the fact that plants purify the air.
They Purify the Air
There are countless germs floating around us and on everyday objects.
But in a doctor’s office, keeping germs at bay and bacteria to a minimum is even more important, as the majority of people you see have some level of a compromised immune system.
Research by NASA concluded that plants are able to eliminate a whopping 87% of toxins from the air in as few as 24 hours. They manage the temperatures in your waiting room, get rid of pollutants like nitrogen dioxide and benzene, and even lower airborne dust levels.
Just make sure you properly care for your plants to keep them healthy and happy.
They’ll Keep Your Staff Focused and Productive
Nearly 44% of doctors will experience moderate to severe burnout over the course of their careers but you’re not the only one who leaves the office every day exhausted.
Your nurses and staff are tired too and it can often be tough for them to focus and be productive. When you’re making choices about care, calling insurance companies and pharmacies, and even arranging dosages, even one small mistake can be disastrous.
One of the biggest benefits of indoor plants is that they’ve actually been proven to increase not just productivity levels by at least 15% in employees, but also help to improve their focus.
This is because plants add oxygen to the air and require more natural light in the office, which improves everyone’s mood and focus.
They’ll Minimize Your Waiting Room’s Stuffiness
See lots of patients with respiratory issues? Waiting room plants help them breathe easier.
This is because the plants release moisture back into the air, which helps to balance out humidity levels in your waiting room. Plants also absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the air as a part of the photosynthesis process, which gets rid of allergens that can aggravate patients and staff.
In addition to helping patients with respiratory issues stay comfortable, indoor plants can also ward off dry skin, coughs, sore throats, and even colds.
Whether your office is on a busy street or if it can get a little loud in the waiting room (especially if you see pediatric patients!) controlling noise levels can be a challenge for any office.
Believe it or not, the right office plants can help reduce background noise, which makes for a much more relaxing and pleasant experience for all.
In addition to beautification, the ability of plants and trees to absorb sound is a huge reason why you see them along so many highways, and they can do the same in your doctor’s office.
Plants also help to deflect sound waves much better than walls do. For example, sound waves won’t vibrate when they hit a wall, which means that noise easily echoes throughout your office. Plant leaves, however, are much more flexible, which causes the leaves to vibrate and deflect and refract the sound, minimizing noise.
For best results, try more than one type of indoor plant, and go for larger, thicker leaves.
They’ll Improve Your Decor
Last but not least, adding indoor plants to your doctor’s office will certainly improve your waiting room’s decor.
Of course, this means that your patients will have a good impression of your practice, but it’s about much more than looks alone.
When patients are dissatisfied with their overall waiting room experience, they’re more likely to complain about long wait times or even criticize the level of care they’ve received.
And if they take those complaints online? Your office’s reputation takes a hit and you lose patients as a result.
A beautiful waiting room that keeps patients happy, comfortable, and yes, even distracted, is just a few plants away.
Ready to Get Some Indoor Plants for Your Doctor’s Office?
Now that you know a few of the biggest benefits of indoor plants, we know you’re curious about where you can go to get some seriously stunning options for your doctor’s office.
At Plantz, we’re thrilled to be able to offer you not only a stunning variety of some of the most beautiful indoor plants out there, but also elegant planters that will make them look even better.
You can quickly find something that works with the decor of your office and that’s sure to bring a smile to your staff’s and patients’ faces.
We invite you to browse through our incredible inventory today so that you can see just how much better life with indoor plants can be.