Finding one specialized unit in a huge castle-like Healthcare facilities can be daunting and sometimes may overwhelm the visitors, staff and patients. Many patients miss their hospital appointment and doctors lose a part of their revenue because patients have difficulty navigating doctor’s offices or a specialized facility. Many hospital staff members work in the same unit day in and out so they provide little to no help when a patient approaches them regarding directions. But all this can change with the help of implementing digital wayfinding in healthcare. Technology has long become a part of healthcare, but it is now time to use it to ease navigation for patients and visitors. Patients and doctors will be relieved if digital technologies are enabled to automate turn-by-turn directions and highlighted routes, making it easy for them to find a particular location.
Generally, people use Google maps, signs, boards to find areas they want to visit. But this becomes a little complicated when a patient or a doctor is searching for a particular area inside the hospital building. Digital wayfinding in healthcare in many hospital systems utilize Bluetooth Low Energy ( BLE) technology found in smartphones, facilitating seamless communication and allowing patients and visitors to display their device’s hospital map and navigate in real time. To successfully deploy this program, it is first important to map all the buildings and outdoor areas of the facility. Once maps of a facility are finalized, they are submitted to a Content Management System ( CMS) with associated data such as paths, roads, and points of interest (POIs). Facility administrators can easily access the cloud-based CMS if desired to build, update and maintain maps, points of interest and routing pathways. Available for in-depth reporting are advanced analytics such as real-time occupancy, visit volume, historical routing and heat maps, dwelling times, space utilization rates and web use data. This knowledge will help better plan the facility for the future and ensure that the patients receive the treatment they need.
Locating infrastructure, like BLE beacons, is easily implemented to furnish the application layer with indoor location data. Facilities can utilize other elements of the Real-Time Location Network using a variety of technologies such as Wi-Fi, Second Generation Infrared, Low Frequency, and BLE for more precise coverage and use case extension. The combination of a wayfinding solution with other expenditure in location facilities decreases the IT burden, increases customer and staff satisfaction and increases ROI. For years to come, a future-proof solution can continue to add immense value to health-care facilities.
