Hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and other healthcare facilities tend to be large with multiple departments and sections. They also have to deal with plenty of vehicular and foot traffic. The myriad of medical personnel, patients, and visitors milling about means there is a serious need for clear direction and signage.
Different kinds of signage can be incorporated at such facilities including:
Healthcare facilities require signage for both indoor and outdoor areas that can provide guidance and ensure safety as traffic moves in and out of the area. Other factors like dangerous medications, biological waste, exposure to contagious diseases, and heavy equipment mean that some areas of these facilities also need to be restricted.
There is a high volume of traffic in most healthcare facilities. It is important to be able to keep this movement flowing. Rather than have to assign staff to manage this, it makes more sense to have signage in place that can provide people with direction to where they want to go. This is more efficient and cost-effective. People can use this signage to navigate their way through the facility to get to where they want.
The use of signage is also good for safety’s sake. Not only does it allow for easier movement that keeps traffic flowing better throughout, but it can also be used to designate areas. People can take guidance from signage to keep off areas that may be prohibited. In healthcare facilities, there are multiple areas where only staff may be permitted access or other restrictions placed. With proper signage, visitors and others will know where they are and are not allowed access.
Outdoor signage is very important in healthcare facilities as they often have multiple entrances and exits. They may also need to designate certain areas for ambulance access alone for emergencies and patient transfers.
Where the facility has multiple buildings or wings, outdoor signage can also be used to direct people on what routes to take to access them. This will often involve signage that indicates the name of the building and arrows pointing out what direction to take and get there.
Signage can be used to indicate where non-emergency patients, visitors and staff can park their vehicles appropriately. Outdoor signs may also be used to indicate a hospital zone. This can be especially helpful to those that need to find a hospital but are not familiar with its location in the area.
Indoor signage should be used to guide foot traffic to the various departments and sections. They should start at every entrance, appear overhead along corridors, on walls at intersecting corridors, and near elevators and stairs so people can navigate towards their desired destination.
Wayfinding maps that provide a more comprehensive layout of the floors and buildings across campus can also help ensure users have a good idea of what direction they should be taking to where they need to go.