wayfinding


popular signage and wayfinding solutions are traditional fixed slat systems, where single panels can be updated and replaced as necessary. These are available in a variety of


styles, can be wall or ceiling hung, and can be supplied with a combination of images and words, making them more legible to people with certain medical conditions including dementia.


Going digital Sarah Phillips, director of Picto Sign Solutions, said: “Key to good signage is good contrast; clear wording; no glare, reflection or shiny surfaces; and the use of upper and lower-case letters.” However, she added, they have seen


a shift away from corporate NHS signage in a few recent projects. “We have done a couple of cancer


centres, including the Rutherford Cancer Centre in Northumberland, where they wanted something much


Poor signage and wayfinding creates work for already- busy NHS staff as they are stopped and asked for directions


less institutional and user friendly, with a much-softer look”, she said. However, because static signage can


be both expensive to buy, and costly to update and change; increasingly in recent years digital wayfinding systems are beginning to make inroads into the healthcare market. These systems are most commonly


controlled by personal computers or servers through the use of either proprietary or public-domain software programmes. And there are several advantages to


using digital rather than static signage. The content can be updated frequently and, potentially, at no added cost; they offer dynamic, eye-catching content; and because they are designed to minimise power draw and don't require the raw materials necessary for physical,


42 healthcaredm.co.uk


printed signs, they are often more environmentally friendly. Sanders said: “Ideally, wayfinding


systems should have some form of built-in intelligence, for example being linked to a check-in system that can identify exactly where each individual patient should be and direct them automatically to the correct location. “There is little benefit in showing


a map and directions at the entrance to the hospital, but then not having this map available throughout the person’s journey.


The future “The map and route must, therefore, be accessible either through strategically- placed wayfinding devices such as kiosks or a smartphone-type application delivered directly to their device.” He added: “Intelligent and easy-to-


use wayfinding solutions like this have taken away some of the anxiety of visiting a hospital. “Our technology, for example, enables


patients to view directions across multiple devices and our smartphone wayfinding uses a triangulation service to help hospital staff identify where that patient is in real time. “In the future this could go even


further, offering the patient a map from their house to their final destination, also linking to carparking, showing space availability, and perhaps even enabling parking spaces to be reserved. The options once we shift to digital are endless.”


www.intouchwithhealth.co.uk www.weareendpoint.com www.pictosign.co.uk


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