Signs, symbols and standards - the threads of ariadne in hospitals

Abstract

Hospital planning and design is specific and challenging hospitals are very complex and sophisticated places - the majority of the hospital activities and processes are standardized as well as products used in hospital buildings. Even when the hospitals' layout are based on a sophisticated planning and design approach, their size and complexity usually are perceived by users as strange, difficult to understand or even hostile environments. Patients are especially vulnerable, being under psychological pressure, physical discomfort and pain. Systems of signs and symbols in hospitals areintended to give information to all of hospital users about specific issues in order to understand and are oriented inside the various hospital environments. The main aims of this paper are to raise issues of function and complexity of signage systems in hospitals, as well to gain attention of hospital designers and planners to international standards as an important source of knowledge in this area. This paper claims that global acceptance of one standardized signage system for hospitals is not likely to be accepted, however the knowledge related to the concepts and design principles should be shared. The main reasons can be found in cultural differences and barriers. International standards in the area of graphical symbols are not only intended to provide images of symbols, but also to define requirements for creation and design of public information symbols as well as design principles. That is why international standards can be found as valuable information and guidance in the design of public information symbols.