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Hospital Navigation App

Route guidance app for live indoor and outdoor navigation

A leading private healthcare provider with multiple facilities.

Request
To develop an app that provides seamless indoor navigation for patients and visitors. 
Result
The app can guide visitors, customers, and employees directly to their desired destination.
Technologies
  • Swift
  • Kotlin
  • iBeacon
  • Bluetooth Low Energy
  • Laravel
  • PostgreSQL
  • Firebase
Result
The app can guide visitors, customers, and employees directly to their desired destination.

Results

  • 30% faster navigation efficiency

    Since input documents are checked for formal correctness when they are created, many queries from pharmacies are eliminated. The app reduced patient and visitor navigation time by 30%, enabling quicker access to departments and minimizing delays for medical staff.

  • Seamless integration

    The app was seamlessly integrated with the hospital’s existing infrastructure within three months, without disrupting daily operations. It replaced the static site plan with an interactive map featuring real-time navigation, significantly improving usability and convenience for users.

  • Real-time data management

    The app provides hospitals with full control over navigation data, allowing them to update and manage changes in real time through intuitive interfaces or the backend system. This ensures accurate, up-to-date information for seamless navigation, even during frequent hospital adjustments.

  • Scalable solution

    The white-label architecture enabled seamless customization, allowing the app to be adapted to the unique needs of each hospital. Within the first year, it was successfully deployed in over 10 hospitals, enhancing operational efficiency and improving patient navigation across multiple healthcare facilities.

Challenge

The customer was a private healthcare group operating hospitals and clinics nationwide. For example, the core area of ​​the main hospital facility measures around 35 hectares – the equivalent of around 50 football fields. Patients are treated in around 60 of the over 100 buildings on the site.

The hospital's old buildings made navigation difficult for patients and visitors. Medical staff frequently answered wayfinding questions, prompting management to implement a simple and accessible solution to help visitors navigate more easily and independently.

Several technical challenges had to be addressed:

  • Providing accurate indoor positioning in an environment where GPS signals are ineffective;
  • Developing a user-friendly interface for all user groups, including elderly and visually impaired patients;
  • Ensuring seamless integration with existing hospital infrastructure;
  • Maintaining real-time updates on facility changes, such as temporary closures or relocated departments, to prevent navigation errors;
  • Optimizing app performance to ensure smooth operation on older or lower-end mobile devices, which some users might rely on.
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Solution

The solution developed by Cogniteq is available as native applications for iOS and Android, providing a comprehensive range of features, including outdoor and indoor navigation, real-time information, and facility details.

While patients can find relevant information on the clinic’s website, using the clinic's dedicated app provides a much more convenient experience. This is especially important since many clinic websites are not optimized for mobile devices, making it harder for users to access and navigate content effectively on smartphones.

For navigation, a mobile device receives Bluetooth signals from the iBeacons and uses the signal strength to determine its position. The app provides comprehensive route calculations specifically tailored to different user groups:

  • Individuals with reduced mobility were offered barrier-free routes;
  • Pedestrians received precise instructions on safe paths;
  • Cyclists were guided through designated bike lanes.

The app also accounted for routes for drivers, including emergency services, enabling seamless navigation starting from outside the clinic to ensure easy access to the facility. This universal route planning made navigating the clinic grounds both efficient and inclusive.

To ensure data security, the team independently developed navigation maps, reducing external data transfers and protecting sensitive location information.

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Route management and accessibility

Hospital administrators can monitor routes, block paths, or relocate objects as needed, ensuring up-to-date navigation guidance throughout the facility. It also shows which routes are suitable for people with reduced mobility and which parts of the building should be avoided if possible.

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Adapted routes

Wheelchair patients are not the only ones who need to navigate barrier-free routes. This group of people also includes couriers carrying heavy loads. The app takes into account the most convenient routes. For example, a distinction is made between paved paths and shortcuts. In addition, the optimal entrance to the building is selected.

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Hospital parking navigation

The app helps users find available parking near the hospital. If the selected space is occupied, it directs users to nearby options, considering proximity and accessibility needs. It also remembers the parking location and guides users back to their vehicle after the visit.

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Data protection and security

To prioritize security, the navigation maps are independently created and managed to minimize external data transfers, protecting sensitive location and facility information in compliance with data protection regulations.

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Self-care for patients

Entering a hospital is stressful for patients, even beforehand. The better-prepared patients are, the more pleasant the “check-in” will be, as they are already familiar with many topics and features of everyday hospital life. Patients can install the hospital app at home and easily mark their destinations one by one.

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