wayfinding


Exploring how modern signage solutions are helping to overcome navigational problems in large hospitals


waiting areas, and navigating these can be a major problem. Effective wayfinding solutions are,


V


therefore, key to creating buildings that enhance the patient experience as well


isitors to a large majority of hospital buildings face a confusing labyrinth of corridors, rooms, receptions, and


as making life easier for visitors and staff. Mike Sanders, chief executive of


Intouch With Health, explains: “A visit to hospital is stressful at the best of times and poor signage and wayfinding contributes to this by creating confusion and adding extra time to a person’s journey. This then affects patient flow.


Finding your way


“Additionally, poor signage and


wayfinding creates work for already- busy NHS staff as they are stopped and asked for directions regularly throughout the day.” Fixed static signage is still a common sight across hospitals, but now greater


thought goes into the colours, wording and images used. For example, research by Endpoint


revealed that clinical terminology used on traditional signage was causing confusion. Instead, its designers advise using


more-commonly-used department names on signs, such as ‘kidney’ rather than ‘renal’ and ‘blood tests’ as opposed to ‘phlebotomy’. There is an even an argument for


further simplification, for example using merely ‘Ward 1’, ‘Ward 2’ etc.


Clear and consistent Endpoint’s wayfinding design director, Alison Richings, explains: “Some argue that creating a generic address system, where the name bears no relation to the activity, would enable healthcare


users to find any department without any functional understanding of what happens at that destination.” This more-basic approach can be


seen in practice at the new Royal London Hospital, which uses a combination of signage, including a simple alpha-numerical system, for example 11a, 11b, 12a, 12b etc. This already works in hotels,


apartment blocks, and classrooms, so is ideally suited to hospitals. The buzzwords, Richings said, are


‘clarity’ and ‘consistency’, so it is vital that names used on signage are also included in letters and emails sent to patients, otherwise they are lost once they pass through the doors. Because of the fast-changing nature


of healthcare services, and the long lifespan of buildings, among the most-


➤ healthcaredm.co.uk 41


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61