Wayfinding: A Constant Challenge in Hospitals
Wayfinding in healthcare settings can be challenging for patients and visitors, especially in large and complex facilities like hospitals and large medical centres. Wayfinding difficulties have been shown to increase anxiety and reduce operational efficiency.
Healthcare facilities, particularly large hospitals and medical centres, often have dozens or even hundreds of rooms connected by maze-like hallways. Limited, poorly designed or altogether absent wayfinding can contribute to patient and visitor frustration and intensify a stressful situation.
Digital Wayfinding Enhances Patient & Visitor Navigation
Healthcare digital wayfinding alleviates some of the stress of navigating complex health settings. Many healthcare providers are choosing digital tools, like wayfinding kiosks, digital signage and wayfinding apps to help people move around their facilities efficiently.
Here we explore 4 digital wayfinding technologies that can help to improve the healthcare experience.
Digital wayfinding kiosks
Digital wayfinding kiosks are an essential tool for navigating hospitals and other complex healthcare facilities… They provide valuable wayfinding and location information by enabling access to a directory search, wayfinding app or digital building map, allowing patients and visitors to easily search for their destination. Kiosks can further enhance the patient experience with additional functionality like patient check-in, queue management, feedback and personalised navigation features using GPS on mobile devices. For example, a patient could check-in using the kiosk, and be immediately shown an interactive map displaying the room they need to navigate to, along with instructions on how to get there. The kiosk could then offer an option to send the route information to the person’s mobile device to aid them as they move throughout the facility.
Outdoor digital wayfinding signage
Large outdoor digital wayfinding signs can act as an immediate beacon for people as they arrive at a hospital or health facility, guiding them to the right general department and quickly showing them the best way to access the area they need (for example, the emergency department, reception or specialty health service). Outdoor digital signs placed in carparks, at entrances and at key places on the building’s exterior can immediately help people feel at ease as they quickly identify where they need to go.
Digital directory boards
Digital directory boards are a modern alternative to the traditional physical building directories often found in healthcare and corporate buildings. Digital directory boards offer multiple advantages. They can be easily updated to reflect room and location changes, and can easily be made interactive with touchscreen technology that allows visitors to search for their destination and view the best navigation path. They can be easily integrated with wayfinding and other useful apps, and can also display information in multiple languages and include features to cater for visitors with disabilities, greatly enhancing accessibility.
Walkway digital screens
Interactive kiosks and digital directory boards greet patients and visitors as they enter the facility and provide an overview of the best navigation path. Walkway digital screens placed at hospital corridors offer further directional guidance. Interactive screens can also provide access to building directories and wayfinding apps if required to keep people on track to their destination.
Enhance Your Healthcare Experience Today With SCALA
Scala’s digital signage for healthcare helps transform the patient and visitor experience by making visiting and navigating health facilities less stressful. With access to a wide variety of technology, from digital wayfinding and interactive digital signs to occupancy management and queue management solutions, Scala can help hospitals and other large health facilities boost satisfaction and improve their services. Find out more about Scala’s solutions for healthcare.
Tara Nichols, Marketing Consultant at STRATACACHE Asia-Pacific, has a diverse background in marketing, social media and communications. Based in Australia, she supports STRATACACHE APAC’s social media and marketing activities, providing content ideation, writing and creative support services.