Lost and Found: In-Hospital Way-Finding Study v.1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A mixed methods study to identify the difficulties and impact way finding and navigation has on patients and staff in the hospital environment
IRAS ID
179222
Contact name
John Blakey
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Aintree University Hospital NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 28 days
Research summary
Hospitals are large and complex environments. They provide navigational challenges to patients, visitors and new staff. These result in unwell or pregnant individuals walking further than necessary, and being anxious and frustrated. Newer clinical staff cannot prioritize tasks efficiently, whilst others are frequently interrupted for directions.
Improving in-hospital navigation is currently a neglected area, lagging far behind services in other public indoor environments such as malls and airports.
Improving navigation could lead to benefits in patient safety, operational efficiency, and patient experience. This project will also bring together clinical and research staff, experts in navigation and human factors, and potentially local high-tech industry in developing an NHS-leading navigation solution for Aintree.Newer technologies allow accessible adaptive guidance, personalized for the individual, without requiring extensive changes to signage or other hospital infrastructure. Before any long-term solution is implemented, this initial work will establish the scale and detail of the problem locally (part 1), and the acceptability and most suitable design of a proposed intervention (part 2).
REC name
North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/NW/0838
Date of REC Opinion
16 Nov 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion