More so than any other medium, signage is an essential tool for communicating with visitors in massive facilities like hospitals. These facilitate wayfinding and enable patients or visitors to locate a site without seeking assistance. A study found that hospitals lose over US$ 12 billion annually as a result of bad or non-existent signage.
Healthcare facilities must invest in appropriate signage to improve patient experience and reduce their anxieties. Here are seven different kinds of signage that every healthcare facility should have and can incorporate into their future signage strategy.
Informational Signage
Out of all the types of signages that offer observers any kind of ongoing information, informational signages are the most fundamental and critical. The most basic questions, like visiting hours, departments, elevators, toilets, etc., can be answered with the assistance of these signs. These are typically placed outside or at the entrance of different facilities. These signs are typically larger and have better contrast and visibility for easy viewing. Informational signages for the building can be made modular, that are appropriate for both interior and exterior displays.
Directional Signage
It is crucial to install directional signages in a large healthcare facility. These could be exit and entry signs with arrows pointing in the direction of public spaces, particularly at intersections and turns where people are likely to get confused. Installing appropriate directional signage can be done in a variety of ways, including using floor plans, exit maps, or overhead suspended signages for turning. Additionally, these signages are permanent, created to match the facility’s architecture, and adaptable to future changes.
Statutory and Cautionary Signage
According to NABH, signs play a significant role in determining the standard of any hospital. As a result, when it comes to statutory signs, the proper procedure should be followed, along with the appropriate colour scheme and contrast levels, when placing these signs. Medical safety, patient safety signs, radiation zones, and protection signage are integral parts of every healthcare signage strategy. Other hospital safety signs, such as washing hands, wearing protective gear, etc., fall under the same category.
Regulatory Signage
Typical signages used in regulatory signage include no-smoking, no-entry, and no-cell-phone signs, among others, and are placed in various zones and locations according to the need. These are used to categorise the locations as well as the activities that are permitted or prohibited in those areas. These signs are a top priority for healthcare facilities in order to protect patients from accidents.
Identification Signage
Identification signage can be thought of as grouping the areas of a hospital for simple wayfinding. These can be used to distinguish between two departments, such as neuroscience and cardiology, to mark room numbers, to identify equipment and drug stores, etc. For these signs, widely recognized symbols are used, along with multilingual markings, so that people at large can quickly recognise them. Identification signages also include department markers and door signages.
Floor-level Signage
Every floor-level directory is necessary for hospitals with multi-floor designs. These are perfect for separating the various areas that are present on one floor, but they shouldn’t obstruct other wayfinding and should be positioned at the wall or ceiling from where the floor entrance begins. It’s important to keep the line of sight in mind when placing these directories or signage. Floor-level directories are perfect for larger spaces where it is obvious that one is going to lose track of the right path.
Doctor Directory Signage
Another essential type of signage that can be used in expansive healthcare facilities is doctor-directory signs. Installing a doctor directory at the entrance and on other levels can be a great way to assist patients in locating their destination when there are multiple departments and doctors on each floor. These signs can display the name of the doctor, their room number, and their area of expertise. These need to be multilingual to be useful to as many visitors as possible. Modular signages can add value to a doctor’s directory by making the doctor names, timings and room numbers easily changeable.
Signage can provide a variety of advantages for a healthcare facility, including:
-Increased patient experience and satisfaction
-Brand recognition and loyalty
-Aesthetic and welcoming ambience
-Easy wayfinding leaves a positive effect
-Lesser load on staff in guiding the patients
We at Cosign have 29 years of experience in designing signage for healthcare facilities as per the requirements and pre-determined strategies. Get in touch with us if you’ve been looking for a manufacturer who can do bulk designing for the entire facility. We have different models that are ideal for your variety of needs. Contact us now.
