Internet of Things-Based Wayfinding for Hospital Visitors: A Digital Solution for Complex Health Care Infrastructures

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Healthcare Informatics

Background:

• Hospital navigation presents challenges for visitors, leading to stress and disorientation.
• Traditional signage often proves insufficient in complex healthcare environments.
• Digital solutions offer a promising approach to enhance indoor wayfinding.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design, implement, and evaluate a digital indoor wayfinding web application (KH Wayfinder).
• To assess the application's impact on visitor spatial orientation and navigation-related stress.
• To determine user satisfaction and preference for digital wayfinding solutions in a tertiary care hospital.

Main Methods:

• A 3-phase study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in India.
• Phase 1: Cross-sectional survey (n=41) on user attitudes toward digital wayfinding.
• Phase 2: Development of a browser-based application (KH Wayfinder) using HTML, JavaScript, CSS, and Leaflet.js.
• Phase 3: Usability testing (n=54) with a validated questionnaire assessing performance, satisfaction, and ease of use.

Main Results:

• 80.5% of users expressed willingness to use the KH Wayfinder.
• 85.2% found the tool easy to use, and 87% reported reduced navigation time.
• 83.3% experienced reduced psychological stress, and 100% would recommend the system.

Conclusions:

• KH Wayfinder demonstrated high usability, effectiveness, and user satisfaction.
• The application is a low-cost, scalable, and adaptable digital navigation solution for smart hospitals.
• Future enhancements could include real-time positioning, multilingual support, and accessibility features.