University Clinical Centre in Gdańsk

The University Clinical Centre in Gdańsk is the main teaching hospital at the Medical University of Gdańsk. It is a multi-speciality hospital and one of the largest in Poland. The buildings were finished in 2011 and is one of the most modern medical facilities in Europe. The hospital caters to the healthcare needs of 3.5 million people in the region. Also, they conduct tens of thousands of surgeries and millions of laboratory tests every year. Therefore, running a tight ship is very important. A modern and innovative facility like this needs an innovative way to guide all of the patients and visitors they receive. So they turned to 3D Wayfinder!

Wayfinding solutions for University Clinical Centre in Gdańsk

In order to guide visitors, patients and staff alike we created a 3D models of the 17 buildings in the complex. Five of those buildings are more often used by the general public. Consequently we created more detailed models of these five buildings, showing hallways, elevators and individual rooms and offices. The hospital chose to model the most popular offices and locations, such as the admission points, toilets, shops and specific offices or laboratories.

We created this project mainly to help guide non-staff – the patients and their visitors. The hospital installed on-site kiosks in the busiest locations so people can check where they need to go. These kiosks have more potential than just it’s wayfinding capabilities. Self-service kiosks could be used to make appointments, pay for them, to print prescriptions etc… All of this would save precious time and resources for hospitals.

Beyond kiosks and wayfinding

Another good way to guide people is with an online version of this, that wasn’t utilized in this case. Having an intuitive 3D model on your website allows people to pre-plan their movements. This saves time for visitors and staff, as they don’t have to waste time giving directions. Also, an online version opens up numerous possibilities to further integrate the hospital’s functionalities. The same goes for mobile applications. Through Bluetooth beacons, indoor positioning gives people the most accurate and convenient directions straight to their phone. In addition, we can use a mobile application to send people reminders about upcoming appointments, test results or other urgent notifications. These kinds of solutions would enable a fully integrated venue management system.

Healthcare systems around the world are under increasing pressure. It is in everyone’s interest that we find new ways to structure healthcare institutions, including the customer service aspect. Increasing efficiency through self-service and automation is the future. At the time of writing this, the globe is in the middle of a pandemic, which won’t be the last one. When used correctly, these kinds of digital signage and wayfinding solutions are a good way to combat the spread of viruses.