Three key elements of emerging healthcare lighting design are circadian wellness, dark adaption, and a high-fidelity visual environment for patient care. Solid-state lighting solutions with spectral control capabilities can be seamlessly integrated into healthcare lighting designs using advanced controls and sensor geometry to create a patient-friendly experience. For patients who need to sleep during the day, these technologies can be manually enacted, along with appropriate window shading, to create a nighttime environment at any hour.
Based on these design elements and lighting principles, the California Technology Center developed the Five Key Circadian and Lighting Quality Design Strategies appropriate for use in healthcare environments.
The CLTC research published in the August 2016 issue of LD+A evaluates these strategies as they are implemented at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis.