How Digital Wayfinding Will Transform a Post-COVID Healthcare Industry
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic surfaced and ultimately altered the course for just about every industry you can think of, the need for businesses of all trades to adapt to certain technological practices has become vital to succeeding in such ever-evolving times.
But while companies and enterprises of all backgrounds struggle to seek new solutions to the newfound dilemmas associated with the pandemic, it’s safe to say that the healthcare industry has required the most extreme makeovers, as far as adjusting to everything from health and safety protocols to legislative enforcements.
One of the most efficient forms of automation that has proved to be a revelation within the healthcare industry has been the implementation of digital wayfinding in hospitals. Far from serving as just a navigational aid, the evolution of digital wayfinding software has rendered plenty of opportunities to enhance the patient experience in hospitals and healthcare clinics.
And as we move forward into a future of viral uncertainty, the need for establishing new, accommodating digital wayfinding solutions will only continue to strengthen within our world’s healthcare facilities.
To gain a better understanding of the changes being made to reflect our need for safer and healthier technologies, let’s examine exactly how digital wayfinding will transform a post-COVID 19 healthcare industry.
Patient Independence
The primary advantage that digital wayfinding technologies can enhance the patient experience within the healthcare industry is by providing patients with more opportunities to perform tasks by themselves.
Once the pandemic took hold in 2020, patients were essentially mandated to act independently as a means of health and safety protocols, whether it be through self-appointment scheduling and check-ins, accessing navigational mobile apps, or keeping in-the-loop on important security updates through acquiring instant notifications.
Digital wayfinding signage systems helped curate the patient experience to be a more independently-focused procedure, which in turn allows patients to feel more in control about their healthcare, while medical staff has to spend less time adhering to tasks the patients can do themselves.
Expect this trend to continue and mature as we move forward into the future.
Mobile Amalgamation
Going along the lines of patient independence, COVID-19 certainly accelerated the already evolving implementation of utilizing smartphones to enhance the patient experience.
More and more hospitals and healthcare facilities are providing their patients with the chance to sync up their mobile devices with hospital apps designed to help patients stay better updated on their healthcare. Digital wayfinding stations provide a simple way for patients to download these apps, usually requiring just a simple photograph of a QR code that gives the patient a link to download the app and begin managing everything from scheduling, medications, to wait-times, all from their mobile device.
Cost-Cutting Solutions
Perhaps the most overlooked dynamic digital wayfinding software has created for healthcare facilities is the ability to cut down on expenditures in more ways than one. The best example of how digital wayfinding strategies have helped hospitals save money is by contributing to the reduction of missed appointments due to patients cancelling at the last minute or failing to show up altogether.
Missed appointments cost hospitals an average of between $150 to $200 billion every year. With digital wayfinding software allowing for easier scheduling adjustments and quicker notifications of cancelled appointments via mobile amalgamation, hospitals are able to better monitor and manage missed appointments, so they can fill any open slots quicker than they could before when receiving little to no notification from patients cancelling their appointments.
Enhanced Communication
Throughout the pandemic, receiving up-to-the-minute notifications regarding pressing information become imperative within healthcare facilities all around the world. From staying up-to-date on the latest federally mandated health and safety requirements to monitoring extended waiting times due to overcrowding, digital wayfinding stations served as essential healthcare appliances that could help keep patients better informed throughout their hospital visit.
Such communication capabilities will only improve as the need to provide patients with instant notifications will only become more urgent as the war against COVID-19 wages on.
Custom Hospital Wayfinding Solutions
As digital wayfinding signage and stations continue to become a more essential component to any hospital waiting room or hallway, keeping patients notified on all aspects of the healthcare facility they’re occupying requires strategic wayfinding design and installation solutions.
At Oppna Digital, we thrive on providing hospitals with the digital applications they need to enhance their patients’ experiences. Contact us today to request a demo of our digital wayfinding services, or give us a call at 651-237-5677 to speak with one of our healthcare wayfinding specialists.