Hospital wayfinding solutions are some of the most important elements of an optimally accessible healthcare facility. Unfortunately, too many organizations fail to understand the value of a high-quality wayfinding system, which then results in negative experiences for patients, visitors, and staff.
The best wayfinding systems reduce stress and frustration, facilitate productivity, and prioritize visitors’ needs, all while also being cost-effective and sustainable. Moreover, they must be easy to maintain. While this may sound like a tall order, the truth is that without an effective wayfinding system, your facility is going to fall behind.
Keep reading to learn why a good wayfinding system is a must in all healthcare facilities.
1. It improves everyone’s experience.
The most important reason why a good wayfinding system is a must in healthcare facilities is that it improves everyone’s experience in the place – that includes the patients, visitors and staff. Opting to concentrate on creating, implementing and sustaining an effective wayfinding system can significantly decrease patient stress and anxiety, enhance facility operations and processes, and create an incredibly positive impact on the morale and well-being of patients and guests.
Keep in mind that when an individual finds themselves in a healthcare facility, it generally brings them heightened anxiety. For this reason, the last thing they want is additional stress because they are having a hard time navigating the space.
2. It helps provide emergency assistance faster.
In addition to making everyone feel more comfortable, having a sound wayfinding system also helps your healthcare facility provide emergency assistance faster. When an individual enters a facility, they must be able to ascertain where they need to go – quickly. A well-designed wayfinding system ensures that a patient or visitor can promptly understand the directions necessary to find treatment.
Similarly, it directs visiting doctors, nurses, and staff who would otherwise have to waste much time trying to find their way through the buildings. When everyone is able to find their way more quickly, the corridors become less congested, which also enables emergency assistance to arrive faster.
3. It makes you stand out from the competition.
Traditionally, healthcare facilities have solely concentrated their resources on reshaping the performance of the medical care they provide. While this is of the highest importance, it has resulted in a lack of effort to create a comfortable patient, visitor, or staff experience. Therefore, in many cases, there is an obvious disparity between the quality of care provided and the overall experience. In turn, this negatively influences patient satisfaction which extends into the broader community.
By opting to improve your wayfinding system, you are ensuring that you are standing out in the marketplace, which is essential considering the heightened competition and the fact that everyone is expecting improvements in patient outcomes and comfort levels.
How to Improve Your Healthcare Facility’s Wayfinding System
Now that you understand why a good wayfinding system is a must in healthcare facilities, it is time to look for ways to improve your system.
- One of the most beneficial things that you can do is to make destination locations quickly identifiable. For most patients and visitors, too much medical terminology is overwhelming and doesn’t help them ascertain where they need to go. Therefore, instead of having the “Otolaryngology Department,” your wayfinding system should use “Ear, Nose, and Throat.”
- Similarly, distinctly marked pathways accompanied by visual navigational cues aids individuals in navigating the space and makes orienting themselves that much easier. Ideas for visual navigational cues include inventive naming and directional signage, and graphics. Moreover, you want to distinguish primary locations with notable design cues like a unique entryway, a piece of furniture, or memorable art. Whatever you choose to use should be prominently visible and straightforward to describe.
- Last but not least, for the most optimal wayfinding strategy, you want to be utilizing several forms of communication – such as visual, verbal, and digital. When it comes to making the space easy to navigate, don’t underestimate the effectiveness of interactive booths or help desks. These are fantastic supplements to the clear pathways and distinctive signage that you have in your wayfinding system. Additionally, having the capability to send directional notes to an individual’s smartphone makes a dramatic difference for them.
Work With Professionals
Creating an effective wayfinding system requires a harmonious blend of art and science — one that has been perfected by signage and wayfinding consultants in Dubai. At Dezign Technic, we create mapping and visual solutions for organizations around the globe.
Based in Dubai, we have offices in the United Kingdom, Qatar, Lebanon, and Egypt and facilitate the communication and wayfinding needs of our clients through meticulous research and examination. This ensures that we are able to formulate effective and efficient wayfinding and placemaking solutions for healthcare facilities.
If your healthcare facilities need improving or refreshing (or implementing), then reach out to us today to learn more about what we can do for you.
