Impact of circulation complexity on hospital wayfinding behavior (Case study: Milad 1000-bed hospital, Tehran, Iran)

Abstract

The character of large-scale healthcare facilities may tie into wayfinding difficulties and this oppression will yield in first-time users. Hence, the circulation of a building is the key factor in organizing its layout. Five circulation patterns have been found in hospitals based on route geometry, and each of them has its own complexities affecting wayfinding behavior. The present study focused on these complexities in circulation patterns in Milad 1000-bed mega-hospital and investigated the results related to wayfinding performance, people's chosen strategy, and individual capabilities in wayfinding. Then, it detailed the users' views and performance regarding the existing circulation layouts in order to improve the design and implementation of the delivery system. To design wayfinding tasks, first, the space syntax technique was conducted to anticipate the wayfinding flow and intelligibility of the space to define the origin and destination of every task. Then, 10 different scenarios were defined as a result of a detailed qualitative investigation of the hospital environment and interviews with stakeholders. Next, the “wayfinding performance” was assessed while participants were completing the assigned tasks. Finally, the obtained wayfinding strategies from the users during the process were evaluated. As a result, circulation patterns of the hospital significantly rely on the rate of distance trajectories, deviations from the main path and sign usage of wayfinders. Further, among all types of circulation patterns, the ease of wayfinding in radial, and deep corridor wards were higher among other patterns. The results indicate that circulation patterns should be assessed due to functional ward demands and the referred community needs.