Wayfinding and signage guidelines

The Wayfinding and signage guidelines for emergency departments is intended to assist public hospitals in Victoria to improve the experience of patients visiting their emergency departments.

It builds on the Victorian Government’s Improving the Patient Experience Programm (commenced 2005) signage improvements across Victorian hospitals.

Who are these guidelines for?

These guidelines are relevant for staff who are responsible for managing emergency department patient experiences or outcomes, hospital capital works, or building management in Victoria’s public hospitals.

Rules and guidance notes

This document is intended as a guide to assist hospitals to improve the experience of patients finding their way to and within a hospital emergency department. It is a set of principles to be adapted to each unique hospital.

What is hospital wayfinding?

Wayfinding is the system that assists patients to find their way from one place to another, often through a complex or new environment. A professional wayfinding system will identify the most effective way to direct people through a space, based on evidence collected from the particular space it relates to. The tools to assist people in wayfinding can include:

• printed information
• architectural features and design elements
• permanent signage
• digital devices (for example, kiosks or information screens)
• existing landmarks (natural or man-made)
• human interactions (for example, with information officers).