Recommended Practice for Lighting for Hospitals and Health Care Facilities

This Practice is intended for both lighting designers and healthcare professionals. Lighting needs specific to acute care hospitals, chronic care hospitals, extended care facilities, and related facilities (freestanding ambulatory surgical centers, emergency centers, etc.) are addressed. Designers are encouraged to take into account both the immediate objectives and the services that might eventually be required in each facility. For instance, areas originally lighted for one specific task in a facility may eventually serve other needs. Building in adaptability can be more economical in the long run. While lighting should serve the needs of the medical staff, it should also suit patient needs for a comfortable, low-stress environment. Illumination in multi-bed rooms should be unobtrusive to one roommate while remaining adequate for the other. And, light which enables doctors to note important color nuances must not produce glare, or overexpose the patient’s retina.