Getting lost in hospitals costs the NHS and patients

Getting lost in hospitals costs the NHS and patients Doctors attribute a significant fraction of the 6.9m missed hospital appointments to navigation problems in hospitals.

Hospitals are difficult to find your way around, with kilometres of near-identical corridors leading to door after door of similarly-named wards and treatment rooms. Strict hygiene requirements mean decor must be kept to a minimum, and evolving needs mean rooms often change purpose at short notice. All of this leads to a navigation nightmare, making hospitals intimidating places for many patients. As hospitals grow and change, it will only get worse.

This is a major problem for both visitors and the patients – data from 2013 suggests that around 6.9m outpatient hospital appointments, each costing an average of £108, are missed each year in the UK. Doctors we've spoken to attribute a significant fraction of these to navigation problems, especially at large hospitals. Continue reading... The Guardian