Improving Way Finding in Healthcare Organizations Using Wireless Technology

Abstract

The proposed system analysis and design involve implementing an in-hospital wayfinding app at ABC Hospital. The project comes in the wake of a growing demand for the incorporation of technologies into healthcare firms’ operations. In a context such as the U.S., recent statistics suggest that about 66 percent of the largest healthcare organizations rely on mobile apps to support their health care service providers or programs. Given the skyrocketing of the use of Smartphones and mobile phones, additional findings illustrate that almost 54 percent of patients are keen to use apps, yet only two percent have strived to use the apps offered by hospitals in which they seek medical services. At ABC Hospital, recent trends point to substantial growth in the number of new physicians, visitors, and patients, yet the degree to which these groups could be assisted to navigate the system and physical locations within the facility remains unaddressed. In this case, information about the client and client needs was collected from written documents. Particularly, the data was collected based on regular company reports, as well as the health ministry’s annual reports concerning the productivity of major community hospitals, their future projections regarding improvements in health care service provision, and some of the challenges faced by patients and families seeking services from these institutions. Therefore, the proposed project is deemed appropriate because the hospital has, in the recent past, proved complex and sprawled, demanding a more updated and responsive app. Some of the notable benefits that the wayfinding app is likely to lend to ABC Hospital include new opportunities for improved health care service provision, improve planning and control of end-user service provision, the aspect of the speed at which patients and their families might reach the required departments and physicians’ offices quickly, increased flexibility, error reduction, and the reduction of the cost of medication (because there is likely to be a reduction in delayed or missed appointments). Important to note is that a few barriers might face the proposed project. For example, some of ABC Hospital’s staff members might resist the change due to ideological differences. Also, there might be disagreements among members of the project design and implementation team. It is also worth indicating that the need for hardware, software, and training provision implies that there might be financial constraints. However, a successful identification and synchronization of the required features of the (and the description of the destination generated (as well as that of the turn-by-turn directions)) implies that the implementation of a wayfinding app at ABC Hospital might improve the experience of patients and their families significantly, hence positive reputation and overall satisfaction with the health care services offered.