Hospital rooms make it hard to sleep. Sutter, Kaiser and UCSF are trying to change that
Dr. Richard Milani, right, Sutter Health’s chief clinical innovation officer, and Chris Waugh, its chief design and innovation officer, discuss features designed to support patients’ circadian rhythms and improve sleep during hospital stays at the Sutter Health Innovation Center in San Francisco on Aug. 10.
TL;DR
- Sutter Health, Kaiser Permanente, and UCSF are developing sleep-friendly hospital room features.
- Innovations include red lighting, digital windows, and noise monitoring to support circadian rhythms.
- Improved sleep in hospitals is linked to faster recovery, reduced readmissions, and better pain management.
- Hospitals are focusing on light and noise reduction, including private rooms and clustered overnight care.
- New hospitals from these systems, opening in the coming years, will incorporate these sleep-enhancing designs.