June 2011

Vendors roll out the next generation of health care signage

New technologies are advancing rapidly in the world of digital wayfinding. From electronic kiosks and lighted message boards to high-definition screens and wireless handheld devices, vendors are coming up with new ways to help patients and visitors navigate hospitals.

More hospitals are using high-tech digital signage, such as information kiosks, light-emitting diode (LED) message boards and handheld devices, to provide wayfinding help to patients and visitors.

This signage provides quick-changing, on-demand information that traditional, static formats cannot. Moreover, the growth of digital health care signage is riding the wave of new instant-communications technologies and may open up a new world to hospitals characterized by smart phones and other interactive tools.

However, digital signage always must be considered part of the overall signage program and be designed carefully into each facility.

Digital advances

"Digital signage has been used with success by hospitals all over the United States for the past five years, primarily as a communications tool," says Craig Knowles, general manager of LogicJunction's Wayfinding Division (www.logicjunction.com), Cleveland. "We're just now seeing the emergence of the next gen­eration of ad­vanced interactive wayfinding, which includes handheld devices, wireless, large-format systems and dynamic mapping tech­nologies."

At its most basic, digital sign­age improves the hospital experience for patients and visitors. Along with providing much-needed directions within complex facilities, it increases the efficiency of the admissions process.

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Health Facilities Management Magazine - Neal Lorenzi
http://www.hfmmagazine.com/hfmmagazine_app/jsp/articledisplay.jsp?dcrpath=HFMMAGAZINE/Article/data/06JUN2011/0611HFM_FEA_Marketplace&domain=HFMMAGAZINE

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