Designing and publishing the first Irish indoor hospital map in an academic teaching hospital

Title and background: Designing and publishing the first Irish indoor hospital map in an academic teaching hospital. Hospitals are complex buildings to navigate, 30% service users (n=175) experience disorientation throughout... [ view full abstract ]

Title and background: Designing and publishing the first Irish indoor hospital map in an academic teaching hospital. Hospitals are complex buildings to navigate, 30% service users (n=175) experience disorientation throughout the author's hospital and seek redirection from passing service providers, accounting for approximately 18 hours/day interdisciplinary time spent assisting with redirection. Staff deal with disoriented people compassionately but frequently discuss solutions to the anxiety and stress disorientation causes service users further adding to the time burden.

Aim and objectives: The aim of this project was to see if an indoor map would be a tool service providers could use to increase the autonomy of patients. The objectives were to design and publish a useable and useful indoor map.
Description of innovation: Information sources interrogated for map development included signage, verbal directions, physical layout and patient databases. Adobe Illustrator (CS6) was used to design the map. A model-based quality framework enabled evaluation of the map for the purpose of integration with existing hospital communication and navigation usefulness. No ethics approval was necessary for this innovation.
Impact of innovation*: Key map evaluation criteria were met through wide availability and accessibility of the map for the service user community alongside the variety of media solutions for the service provider community. Development was cost neutral. Adding a map to the reverse of appointment letters would cost 1c/letter, €1700 annually. An unexpected impact is that a map is a useful visualisation of hospital location organisation, it helps a hospital recognise where ambiguous communication messages arise.
Conclusions and implications: Large Hospitals can be classified as complex buildings. Maps help service users build autonomy and reduce impact on service providers for re-orientation. Complicated location naming and signage inaccuracy equates to complexity for service users. Organisations such as hospital groups should develop one location taxonomy that is integrated across all types of patient communication. Cost effective indoor maps can be developed in hospitals to meet this need.