Improve Hospital Navigation with a Wayfinding Solution

Navigating their way through a large hospital building full of many different hallways and departments can add an extra layer of anxiety to an already stressful experience for patients, their families, and friends.  Adding a wayfinding solution dramatically improves hospital navigation and the patient experience.

Here are three different technological wayfinding solutions hospitals are adding to their facilities:

1. Mobile Apps

Hospitals have been developing their own apps to help patients navigate through their facilities. By adding this type of technology-driven wayfinding solution, visitors are easily guided to their destination, and this adds to a more enjoyable hospital visit. After all, cell phones and mobile technology are constantly around us (most of the time in our hands); why not use a smartphone app to help patients direct their way through the facility? Some mobile apps even include interior maps with turn-by-turn directions to any destination on campus!

Some hospitals have created a wayfinding solution through touchscreen kiosks installed in their lobbies for patients to check in. These “greeter stations” provide the ability to not only check in without the assistance of a greeter, but the patient can also scan any needed documentation (e.g. driver’s license, insurance card). Any captured documents are delivered to the registrar electronically.

Touchscreen kiosks can print physical wayfinding maps as well as registration packets for the visitor to review while he/she waits. This helps expedite the final registration step and provides patients with something to do while they are waiting, enhancing the patient experience.

3. Digital Signage

Having digital signs throughout a hospital is very helpful for wandering visitors. With maps and announcements being displayed, guests won’t get lost while visiting loved ones and hospital staff won’t miss important messages.

One specific type of digital signage used in some hospitals is a patient notification board. A patient notification board informs patients when to proceed to a registration booth. It provides an audible tone and/or message when a registrar is available and ready to serve them. Between these notifications, the patient notification board can be set up to display marketing and informational messages to patients while they are waiting (e.g. wellness programs and hospital services).

True, these current wayfinding solutions for hospital navigation cater to younger, more tech-savvy hospital visitors, but keeping up with the current trends and technology takes a facility to the next level. Implementing a wayfinding solution from the list above can leave an extremely impressive and lasting impression on the patient experience.