The Impact of Wall Murals in a Healthcare Facility

JUNE 22, 2021| SpeedPro East Bay

It has been proven that a person’s environment can significantly impact their mood or mental state. This is especially true when it comes to the healing environment in hospitals and how it can influence recovery. When comparing a recovery room that is cold and white to one that is vibrant and decorative, you can already tell which one most people would be interested in.

Creating a space where people feel invited and comforted can make all the difference. One of the easiest ways to do this is through custom-printed wall murals.

ART AND HEALING

The correlation between art and healing has gone back as far as medieval times. During that era, the local churches ran the hospitals and so much of the art was religious. The art in the Middle Ages was so popular that the artists themselves have gone down in history while the hospital builders’ credit has been lost in time.

This idea has translated throughout the years with artwork becoming increasingly popular in healthcare facilities. This includes hospitals, treatment centers, recovery centers, and more. Now, we have been able to see scientific proof that wall murals and art do in fact influence healing.

You may have heard the term mind, body, and soul. It’s because the mind and body are completely connected. A monumental 1993 study discovered that patients who were recovering from surgery and then taken to a room with an image of nature experienced less pain and anxiety than those who viewed nothing at all. It’s not difficult to understand why this could be. Think of if you’re in pain after surgery with nothing to do but stare at a white wall. You’ll have nothing to do but focus on the pain. Whereas if you’re in a room with lots of imagery and things to keep your mind occupied, you won’t focus on the pain at all.

More recently, studies have added to this by demonstrating how art is a distraction and in return lowers stress and anxiety. When patients were asked to describe their ideal healing environment, space and feelings were among some of the most common themes. In 2017 a study looked into why and how artwork promotes the power of healing. In return, they found out that art contributes to the overall atmosphere. It invokes feelings of safety and connectivity with their outside lives. It helps them break through the 4 walls and tap into their creativity.

Art can overall help with:

• Lowering stress and anxiety
• Controlling or lowering levels of pain
• Creating a stronger connection with those around them and connecting with the outside world
• A more positive experience healing and recovering
• Patient satisfaction

WALL MURALS AND YOUR HEALTH CARE FACILITY

Now that we’ve covered just how impactful art can be in a healthcare environment, we’ll cover what kind of art to incorporate. You can get as creative as you’d like but one particular option that we find beneficial is a wall mural. Wall murals can completely transform an environment whereas a poster or canvas print will simply add a decorative touch.

Hospitals can be a traumatizing and scary place for some which increases discomfort. A wall mural can warm up a space and make it feel more like home. With its ability to be fully customized, you can add as many or little colors as you’d like or include inspirational messages and encouraging quotes.

Wall murals can also be used as a source of wayfinding. With color-coded or themed floor levels, people will be able to find their way based on what theme or color area they’re in. It’s also a playful way to incorporate your branding into the graphics and give people a better idea of where they are.

WALL MURAL DESIGN TIPS

Designing a wall mural can be tricky if you don’t know where to start. Here are  4 tips that can help you get started:

1. Representational art is key: What is representational art? It’s really another way of saying use familiar and easily recognizable images. Using abstract art or images that need to be interpreted can cause confusion. This can be great for a museum gallery where people want to deeply understand art. However, in a hospital, patients should feel comforted, not challenged by your artwork. A 2012 study showed that patients were more likely to feel negative emotions when the images weren’t familiar to them and lacked realism.
2. Use natural elements: You may have heard before that nature can be powerful for healing. In fact, its been proven that landscape imagery could help people heal quicker and more effectively. Bring the outdoors inside with a beautiful life-size wall mural consisting of images of rainforests and trees or beaches and water views.
3. Make it positive: If you’re trying to promote healing, the last thing you want to do is to include imagery that would induce negative emotions. This means that anything with angry faces, dark colors, or gloomy images should be avoided. You’ll want to keep the message positive. This can be easily done with colors that are lighter like blues, greens, lavenders, and yellows. You can also include serene images with light-hearted messages. This will help to keep the overall space positive and cheerful for patients and staff.
4. The more the merrier: Brighten up your entire facility with wall murals in every area. From your lobbies and waiting areas to the individual exam rooms and recovery areas, you can get as creative as you’d like. Creating themed floors can be a really fun way to use this idea. From the moment a person walks in they can feel at ease knowing that you care about their experience. You can even build on this by incorporating elevator wraps and window graphics. Combining all of these options will help to create the experience.

SPEEDPRO EAST BAY AND YOUR HEALING ENVIRONMENT

Why jump through hoops and blow through budgets commissioning an artist to paint various wall murals around your facility? Then, when it comes time to change the graphics, you’ll have to paint over it and start from scratch. Our printed wall mural options allow you to get creative without worrying about higher costs for more intricate designs or colors. And, if you change your mind later, we can simply take it down and replace it with another graphic.

If you’re ready to get started with your high-quality mural and graphics project, give us a call at 510.974.7369 or request a consultation. We’ll make sure that you, your patients, and your staff feel at ease.