Accessibility Manager, the Critical Need for Better Hospital Wayfinding

Patient wayfinding consistently ranks as number six on the priority list, year after year. Action is only taken when things get out of hand.

The issue is that it's not a visibly urgent problem – there's no 'blood flowing through the streets'. It's hard to measure the exact costs associated with compromised patient wayfinding, making it easy to turn a blind eye. Yet, it's estimated to amount to hundreds of thousands annually (Zimring, 1990).

Patient Wayfinding is often undervalued strategically and mistakenly treated as merely 'maintenance of signs.' This operational approach focuses solely on ad-hoc solutions, such as responding to requests from colleagues ('Can you place a sign here?') or managing minor relocations and renovations, instead of addressing the broader strategic importance of patient wayfinding

Problems significantly escalate with large new constructions or the introduction of (de)central check-in kiosks in hospitals. Particularly, the issues caused by the latter are often underestimated. This can lead to complete chaos in patient wayfinding.

Before you know it, the wayfinding system turns into a patchwork filled with makeshift paper signs, leaving the person responsible for patient wayfinding with the thankless task of preventing further escalation. It becomes a no-win situation for them, amid constant criticism and a prevailing attitude of 'How hard can it be?!' To top it off, a patient survey reveals the poor experience of patient wayfinding. Quite the thankless job, indeed

Having spoken to about 30 hospitals during my ongoing research in the past months, I've found a common scenario: Patient Wayfinding is not given enough strategic thought. Every strategic business decision should take into account the significant impact on patient wayfinding! Patient Wayfinding is not just a maintenance task; it's a critical strategic issue.

We should therefor advocate for an Accessibility Manager, equipped with a small team to think strategically about the accessibility of the entire service spectrum. This includes not only the (inclusive) accessibility of buildings but also touchpoints, like websites, apps, letters, etc.

In every strategic decision, like the introduction of check-in kiosks, this Accessibility Manager should be involved. This way, problems can be addressed from the start, not retrospectively.

Otherwise, it's too late, and the intended cost savings from these kiosks turn into a huge expense as they are now.