How to Design and Place Patient Whiteboards for a Minimalist Look

Oct 14, 2020

minimalist hospital room

For a long time, healthcare design was trending in the directions that included more bold concepts, more complex facilities, and more intricate designs. While these types of facilities are still in abundance, and are still being built today, some healthcare facilities are adopting a more practical, minimalist approach to their patient room designs. When it comes to designing custom whiteboards for these types of rooms, the options are near endless, but that doesn’t mean every whiteboard needs to be intricately designed with numerous standout features. Whiteboards are, first and foremost, communication tools, and they do not have to be statement pieces to be placed in a patient room. 

If your healthcare facility has embraced a more practical, low-profile approach to design, you can still place a whiteboard that fits in with the aesthetic. 

 

Going Low Profile with Whiteboard Designs 

When selecting a whiteboard style for patient rooms that feature very simple, minimalist designs, a low-profile whiteboard with a very clean and simple look will fit in best. While there are framing options for standard whiteboards, it may be best to choose a glassboard without a frame, which will keep the look of the whiteboard less obtrusive on the wall. 

Sizing will also be an important factor. If the idea is to have a less crowded looking room, it’s essential to use the smallest possible whiteboard size, so long as it suits your patient communication needs adequately. Just remember to keep the fonts on the boards large enough to be read from the patient’s bed, which is heavily dependent on how far the whiteboard is placed from the bedside. 

 

Choose the Most Useful Information 

When working with limited space on a whiteboard, information field selection becomes crucially important. Only the most useful fields can be placed on the board, and where they are placed is equally important. This is why it’s a good idea for facilities to include their nursing staff, physicians, and even patients in the design process. Knowing what each person values in having on the whiteboard will allow you to create a whiteboard solution that is effective and helpful to patients and staff. 

 

Saving Space on a Whiteboard 

With space being so limited, facilities can get creative with their whiteboard layouts by eliminating needless images, graphics, patterns, and other designs. This allows for the written information to be the front and center focus of the whiteboard. A logo can still be placed unobtrusively on the corner of the board for branding purposes, but it’s best to keep design features limited to colored backgrounds and fonts. 

 

Do More with Less 

Even a small and minimalist design for a hospital whiteboard can be effective as a communication tool. It’s all about how they are used and the information that is stored on them. There isn’t always a need to be bold with designs, just remember that your whiteboard is there to help you treat and serve patients more effectively and efficiently. 

 

Start designing a simple whiteboard today! Get in touch with Ghent Healthcare to talk about what you need in a whiteboard solution!