Blog
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
Recent Posts
New buildings aren’t going to stay new forever. It is up to designers to consider the future with their designs
At no point did this incident impact their ability to provide patient care
Adaptive reuse of shipping containers offers a cost-effective, scalable solution for developing behavioral health facilities to address growing crisis
The campus is 25,000 square feet, with an estimated $35 million investment
Case study: The process encouraged the team to push themselves in several areas.