The importance of healthcare interior design is often under-recognized, according to a blog on the Hospital Build & Infrastructure website by Marc Bornstein, Areen Design Services Ltd.

In a healthcare setting, interior designers' decisions can directly impact patient wellbeing.

"I can’t remember anyone dying of MRSA in an office building; but poorly detailed joints that would go unnoticed there could, in a hospital environment, lead to infection due to the simple fact that they cannot be cleaned properly," Bornstein wrote.

Interior designers study color backgrounds in relation to skin tone; certain colors, when seen against different skin tones, can make a patient look and even feel sick, the blog said.

Blue should be avoided in cardiology units as it makes diagnosis more difficult, while yellow is avoided in maternity wards, as it hinders the diagnosis for jaundice.

Interior designers also have to keep the staff in mind. Research in light and health shows that light not only serves the visual system but it is also a powerful regulator of the circadian system and increases productivity, alertness and health, the blog said.

Read the blog.