The colour blue in healthcare

Blue can be seen everywhere in healthcare – it’s instantly synonymous with it for so many people.

In the United Kingdom, the NHS itself is intrinsically linked with the colours blue and white. As a colour scheme, 87% of people spontaneously recall these when asked about the NHS Identity.¹ There is even an NHS Blue, with its specific pantone code (300).

The colour appears in the most obvious of places. Hospital beds and curtains are commonly blue; it is also the primary colour for many medical professional uniforms. There are several reasons why healthcare systems have developed this way over time.

To understand them, we must first look at the psychological impact the colour has upon us, and see how that has potentially affected the choices made in a variety of workflows.

What are the psychological effects?

The colour blue can influence feelings of calmness and relaxation in individuals and is often described as peaceful, secure, and orderly. It can also have connotations of stability and reliability.² These traits are especially desirable in healthcare, where patients may feel distressed with their current health condition and the treatment they need to receive as a result. Therefore, any calming influence from colour may be helpful. 

Patients have also expressed a preference for the colour blue in healthcare architecture, while this could be down to influence from established norms,  subtle influences include balancing mood and reducing anxieties.³

The impact on waste streams

The link between the colour blue and healthcare services may impact professionals themselves, and the establishment of daily workflows.

Even clinical waste workflows, which are helpfully colour-coded for efficient segregation in the Health Technical Memorandum 07-01 (HTM 07-01)⁴, may be influenced by this – subconsciously or otherwise.

The colour blue is used to separate medicinal waste in clinical settings. This includes expired medicines, partially used medicinal vials, testing kits, and medicines that have been returned to a healthcare facility by members of the public.⁵ Throughout a clinical care setting that handles these types of waste, containers with blue exteriors, lids or linings must be in place to facilitate the segregation of waste.

Ensuring your clinical workplace has these measures in place is not only essential to be compliant with your disposal responsibilities, but can actively help the environment. Biologically active pharmaceuticals can affect aquatic life, with behavioural changes and effects on reproduction being common concerns.

Why choose Initial Medical solutions?

Ensuring your pharmaceutical waste is properly segregated into the blue waste streams can help to protect your staff, patients, and the environment around us. 

Options include the blue Griff Pac waste containers. These are exceptionally lightweight, pharmaceutical waste bins that fold flat before they are used and can be simply stored in your workplace. Furthermore, they are an environmentally friendly solution with a 25% reduction in carbon emissions in their production, and 75% reduction of carbon emissions in their shipping versus standard rigid containers.

The colour blue has wide-ranging implementations in healthcare. Choosing where to use it best can bring peace of mind that may only be matched by the colour itself.

References:

1. NHS, (N.D.). Guidelines, Colours. (Online) Available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/nhsidentity/identity-guidelines/colours/ [Accessed April 2024]
2. Cherry, K., (2024). The Colour Blue: Meaning and Color Psychology. Verwell Mind. (Online) Available at: https://www.verywellmind.com/the-color-psychology-of-blue-2795815 [Accessed April 2024]
3. Chong, X. Y., Heng, C. Y. S., & Basher, H. S. (2023). A Study on the Effect of Colours in Architecture Towards Healthcare Users. MAJ-Malaysia Architectural Journal, 5(2), 8-20.
4.  NHS England, (2022). Health Technical Memorandum 07:01 Safe and sustainable management of healthcare waste. (Online) Available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/B2159iii-health-technical-memorandum-07-01.pdf [Accessed April 2024]
5. Küster, A., & Adler, N. (2014). Pharmaceuticals in the environment: scientific evidence of risks and its regulation. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 369(1656), 20130587.