By Beth Carroll and Calise Gritters, Contributing Writers

Distraction can help or hurt the intended purpose of an institutional or commercial facility. This situation is especially true in healthcare facilities, where clinical noises, unsettling sights and smells, and intense emotions can be prominent. These factors can amplify anxiety, fear and worry that patients and families already feel, especially in pediatric settings.  

But distraction can play a positive role in healthcare. While it does not heal by itself, distraction can help the healing process by addressing an individual’s mental well-being. Designers who can incorporate the concept effectively can help children and their families navigate their healthcare journeys more successfully. 

Four benefits of positive distraction 

Positive distraction in the design of pediatric healthcare facilities can deliver several benefits for patients and their families: 

Creating a sense of normalcy. Amid the unfamiliar routines, sounds and equipment of a hospital, making things feel normal can be a powerful way to comfort children and families. A home-like atmosphere, especially in a pediatric patient’s room, has been proven to ease stress and anxiety while fostering a sense of security. 

Design solutions such as: dedicated zones for patients, families and staff; enhanced visual privacy and soundproofing; and controls to adjust temperature and lighting provide agency and choice. Muted colors and comfortable furnishings create a familiar and welcoming vibe. Access to daylight, large windows and views of nature can regulate circadian rhythms and provide moments of calm. Even quiet corners for reading or areas with tables where families can gather to play games reinforce a sense of normal life in the hospital setting. 

Spaces that feel warm, personal and connected to the natural world offer a sense of stability and peace, improving mental health and well-being while supporting a child’s recovery process. Med-gas panels and alcoves/closets help to hide potentially ominous medical equipment, as does removing monitors and alarms from a patient room to the hallway or nurses’ station. Warm design details and finishes give the interiors of patient rooms a homelike feel. 

Engaging the senses. Children engage with their surroundings through sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. Research shows that a rich, multi-sensory environment in pediatric healthcare spaces is closely linked to improved quality of life for patients, and it can increase satisfaction among parents and staff. These environments offer moments of discovery, wonder and calm.  

Sensory design can take many forms— tactile furniture finishes, meandering pathways along the floor, vibrant wall colors and patterns, 2D or 3D art installations, playful environmental graphics and interactive sound and lighting features. 

HFT Recommends: How to Approach Designing Children's Healthcare Facilities

Biophilic design features bring the outdoors in. A colleague remembers being in a waiting room with his child and staring at a decorative light with lava-bubbles floating up and down, like a flashback to 1972. “That light really helped all of us,” he said. “It almost put us into a meditative state.” 

Another example is the curved graphic feature wall between the lobby bistro and the main dining room at Intermountain Health Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City. It stimulates visitors with motion-activated lights. As children walk along the wall, the adjacent vertical light strips respond with changing colors and varying intensity. 

Encouraging play. Free play is essential for a child’s social, emotional and cognitive development. Pediatric environments can nurture a child’s natural curiosity and need for self-discovery. 

Inclusive design is a key consideration in these environments because it harnesses interactive technology and adaptive equipment to ensure that children of all abilities can participate. Designers also can integrate playful elements into treatment areas, transforming intimidating spaces into environments of imagination and comfort. 

For example, at the Intermountain Health Primary Children’s Hospital’s Lehi campus, an outer space-themed MRI suite can turn a daunting machine into an adventure to explore. Research has shown that engaging a child’s imagination can reduce pain, ease distress and promote calmness during diagnostic and treatment procedures. Getting outside has health benefits, too. The outdoor areas at Arthur M. Blank Hospital-Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta provide easy access to active play. 

Making social connections. A hospital stay often means the child is abruptly separated from family, friends and support systems. Adolescents in particular report strong feelings of isolation during hospitalization and crave opportunities for meaningful social connection, within the hospital and with their communities back home. Whether through music or art therapy, cooking classes or game nights, thoughtful spaces for socializing encourage connection. 

Sophie’s Place at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital serves as a music therapy and hangout space for teenagers, and Ryan Seacrest Studios are media centers embedded in pediatric hospitals where young patients can explore radio and television production like real broadcasters. When designing spaces for socialization, consider the following: 

• How can the design maximize opportunities for patients to access social support? 
• Who is the audience, and what is their demographic and health status? 
• What types of interaction should the design encourage? 

What do distractions look like? 

For designers, it often is valuable to consider small, daily distractions that a child might miss during a hospital stay — being with friends at school, playing with peers on the playground, enjoying games with the family or trying a new restaurant. How can design address these gaps in a child’s life while they are in a healthcare facility? 

Leading pediatric healthcare facilities feature a variety of distractions. These distractions can be simple such as a themed floor that also assists in wayfinding for visitors. Engaging distractions can range from patient-friendly cinemas to accessible playgrounds, activity gyms to meditation spaces. Distraction areas can include art galleries, sensory rooms, performance stages, outdoor respite areas, children’s libraries and even so-called family camping areas. The future of positive distraction is wide open. 

Beth Carroll is regional healthcare director with Page, now Stantec. Calise Gritters is a healthcare planner with the firm. 

Editor’s note: This is the second part of a two-part article. Read part one here.