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Wayfinding often hampered by med speak

Healthcare Design magazine blog examines how word choice, acronyms can confuse hospital visitors


A blog by Healthcare Design magazine Editor-in-Chief Kristin Zeit recently discussed designer Kate Keating's wayfinding research. Keating's two-year study presented patients, visitors and other potential users with terminology currently used at a hospital in signage and other communications, and tested how well the terms were understood. According to the blog, only four out of 23 acronyms tested were correctly identified half the time or better. One hundred percent of those tested said they prefer layman’s terminology on signage over technical medical names.

Read the blog.

 

 



April 9, 2014


Topic Area: Interior Design

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