Mobile App Used to Enhance the Patient Experience

January 25, 2018

Getting lost on a hospital’s sprawling campus or labyrinth of hallways may soon be a thing of the past. A healthcare provider in New York State recently implemented a wayfinding app that allows patients to quickly navigate to any area of the hospital or hospital campus. The app works similar to mobile applications such as Waze, used for navigating in automobiles. The patient is able to access a map with the layout of the hospital facilities, view nearby amenities and even see the estimated time to reach the desired location. In addition to these helpful features, the app can be used to schedule appointments, educate patients about different phases of the treatment process and elicit feedback. Healthcare providers caring for traveling patients would benefit from an app like this or similar tools (particularly if they are adapted to different languages and cultures) as they can facilitate orientation inside the hospital physical environment, help with communication and education, and ultimately improve patient engagement. To read the entire article click here.