Purpose: The appropriate use of color in healthcare settings has been a topic of interest for designers and researchers, and the need for evidence-based standards evident. The purpose of this article is to summarize recent research on color as applicable to neonatal intensive care units and to propose standards for color in these settings.
Background: Research on this topic is limited due to difficulties associated with constructing research protocols, challenges in setting parameters for the independent variable (color), and the need to simultaneously address infants, families, and caregivers.
Methods: For our literature review, the following research question was developed: Does the use of color in the design of the neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) impact health outcomes in newborn infants, families, and/or staff? Using Arksey and O'Malley's framework for conducting a structured literature review, we (1) identified the research question, (2) identified relevant studies, (3) selected studies, and (4) collated and summarized the results. Only four papers were found regarding NICUs, so the search was expanded to include related healthcare and authors reporting on best practice.
Results: Overall, the primary research focused on behavioral or physiological outcomes including the role of wayfinding and art, the impact of lighting on color, and tools for evaluating the impact of color. Best practice recommendations sometimes reflected the primary research but occasionally provided contradictory advice.
Conclusions: Based on the reviewed literature, five topics are addressed: palette malleability; the use of the primary colors, blue, red, and yellow; and the relationship between light and color.
Keywords: color; design; design research; families; infants; neonatal intensive care unit (NICU); staff; systematic review.