Healthcare patients and their guests have high expectations for the quality of restroom facilities at medical offices and community hospitals. People will tolerate lower quality restroom facilities in many types of public spaces – restaurants, entertainment venues, retail stores, etc. – but there is a heightened expectation that healthcare facilities should have high-quality and well-maintained restrooms.
The high cost of healthcare and the public perception that doctors and healthcare professionals benefit from above-average salaries are both reasons (rightly or wrongly) that people have this mindset.
We believe there are five basic checks that healthcare facility door locks must pass to meet customer expectations. These checks are being performed subconsciously at a glance or in a few short seconds as a patient or guest approaches and uses the restroom door handle.
Five basic checks for restroom door locks in healthcare facilities:
- Appearance
- Hygiene
- Privacy
- Safety
- Accessibility
* It is important to keep in mind that the experience a person has in the restroom can have a much greater impact on their overall perception of a business than most other factors.
Check #1 – Does the appearance of the facility’s restroom door locks meet customer expectations for a medical office?
This is a super-fast and simple check performed subconsciously by patients and guests. Does the restroom door handle meet quality expectations from its appearance?
How do you pass this check? Choose satin nickel or satin chrome finish for a modern commercial look.
Typically, medical offices and hospitals use a basic commercial color and design. Door locks with a polished finish (such as polished chrome) are bright and basic. Door locks with a brushed or satin finish (such as satin nickel or satin chrome) are a little more modern. Brass and bronze finishes tend to look out of place in most medical facilities (although they can be a great match for a specific aesthetic in a facility that offers holistic/alternative medicine or spa services).
Check #2 – Does the hygiene of the facility’s restroom door locks meet customer expectations for a medical office?
Hygiene has become a much greater concern for people since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Doors or handles that show signs of wear or that have a dirty surface from heavy traffic and touching are instantly viewed as unhygienic.
How do you pass this check? Choose a door handle with a visual privacy indicator.
Doors that have a visual privacy indicator will display “IN USE” 🔴 when the door is locked and “VACANT” 🟢 when the door is unlocked. A visual privacy indicator accomplishes several important benefits. First, it eliminates unnecessary touches of the door handle. If the indicator shows “IN USE,” then there is no need for a person to touch the handle to test whether it is locked or not. Reducing the number of touches will reduce wear, reduce the quantity of germs, and (most importantly) gives people a sense of satisfaction that they don’t have to touch the door handle only to discover it is locked, and then wait or walk away with dirty hands. This sense of satisfaction is a powerful emotion that creates a positive experience and feeling of appreciation.
Check #3 – Does the privacy of the facility’s restroom door locks meet customer expectations for a medical office?
When using public restrooms, people are hyper-aware of their surroundings. Many people have a real fear that someone will inadvertently walk in on them while using a public restroom.
How do you pass this check? Choose a door handle with a visual privacy indicator.
Just like a visual privacy indicator gives people a powerful sense of satisfaction that they don’t have to unnecessarily touch a door, it also gives them a powerful feeling of privacy knowing that others can see that the restroom is in use while they have the door locked from the inside. This greater sense of privacy adds to the positive experience people have while using the restroom.
Check #4 – Does the security of the facility’s restroom door locks meet customer expectations for a medical office?
Many people not only have a fear that someone will inadvertently walk in on them, but that someone will intentionally or forcibly walk in on them.
How do you pass this check? Choose a door handle with a visual privacy indicator.
Having a privacy indicator on the door handle will prevent essentially all of the “test pulls” that commonly happen with public restrooms. Every time someone pulls on a door handle to test if it is locked, it makes the person inside feel uncomfortable and possibly unsafe. Eliminating “test pulls” will give patients and guests a much greater feeling of security, which is another powerful emotion that contributes to a positive perception.
Check #5 – Does the accessibility of the facility’s restroom door locks meet customer expectations for a medical office?
Accessibility standards developed by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) were created to ensure public and commercial facilities accommodate people with disabilities.
How do you pass this check? Choose a door handle with ADA-compliant one-touch operation.
ADA-compliant door locks can be operated with a single motion from a button or lever that unlocks and opens the door. When patients and guests with a disability have difficulty using door locks that require multiple motions, like twisting and pulling, it creates a negative experience. ADA-compliant single-motion door locks are expected to be in place in medical offices and hospitals more than any other type of facility.
If you are a doctor, owner, or partner at a medical office:
- Purchase Vizilok door locks to pass all 5 of these quality checks...
- Install in minutes with just a screwdriver...
- And you will win the loyalty and appreciation of your patients and guests.
If you are a facility manager at a hospital or medical office:
- Ask for Vizilok from your door hardware supplier by name...
- You will save time and money...
- And you will get an amazing Privacy Indictor Lock your customers and employees will love!
