Roskilde University 2020

This Danish study explores how lighting in delivery rooms affects midwives’ experience of atmosphere, presence, and their practice.

When midwives use lighting to create a homely atmosphere, they notice how lighting impacts both their own and the birthing individual’s physical and emotional states.

The lighting serves as a form of staging that can promote calm, intimacy, and focus, or conversely, create distance and sharpness depending on the color tones and intensity.

Midwives often adjust the lighting to support a balanced presence, alternating between a close, intimate calm and a focused, action-oriented state. Red, dimmed light fosters comfort and relaxation, while blue, bright light creates sharpness and alertness.

The conclusion suggests that the introduction of new technologies, such as colored lighting in the healthcare sector, can transform professional practices and relationships between healthcare staff and patients.