Digital Wayfinding: Improving Workflow and the Patient Experience

The autonomy a patient feels when self-navigating and the ability to solely focus on their care, combined with the scheduling benefits from on-time appointments, proves digital wayfinding is a powerful tool one that innovative healthcare facilities must consider. Sprawling hospital campuses can be difficult and intimidating for patients to navigate. For some, locating the correct office or unit may feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. Some medical centers cover multiple city blocks, causing navigational difficulties for first time and repeat patients alike. Medical campuses grow and change over time and each new unit, department, or building can cause disruption to a patient’s known path.

As healthcare becomes increasingly competitive, the line between patient and customer begins to blur. Healthcare facilities must anticipate patient needs and meet their expectations in a timely manner with convenient and innovative solutions. The health technology industry is rapidly growing and seeks to provide a quality experience for patients and their families. With new technologies constantly emerging, facilities must be selective in implementing proven, user-friendly, and high-ROI solutions that benefit patients, staff, and operations.

One such solution is digital wayfinding. As any sized healthcare campus can be overwhelming for patients and visitors to navigate, digital wayfinding and interactive campus maps provide easy-to-use indoor and outdoor navigation that efficiently directs users to their destinations. These cost-effective, GPS-like solutions address an immediate need with a user-friendly, familiar approach that’s easy for facilities to implement.