Hospital signs is a category with a dozens and even hundreds of sub-categories. The amount of signage required to run a hospital correctly, efficiently and safely is staggering. Room signs, safety signs, lab signs, no smoking signs, you name it and a hospital most likely needs it. Even non-health care signs are required for all the cafeterias, parking garages, gift shops and public desks that reside within hospital walls. At Health Care Signs we take our responsibility to create and distribute the very best hospital signs in the industry very seriously. Our range of color and style options, our impeccable craftsmanship and our quick turnaround make us the place to go when you need hospital signs.

HSI creates hospital signs in a variety of ways. They use sand blasting, lasers, hand cutting, large print presses, and other methods to make their signs using the best materials so the end product is impeccable. These hospital signs come in a variety of designs. Some of the most popular collections are Apex, Avalon, Contemporary, Contour, Deco, LTC, Marquis, Metro, Optik, and Pacific. These hospital signs are available in fifty two standard colors and can be customized to fit your specific needs. HSI’s website allows you to customize and preview your order before your purchase. Once you have a sign made up to perfection you’re just one click away from your order being placed and delivered to you in a timely manner.

Directional Signs/Maps
Directional signs and maps can be vital in any hospital or other health care facility. It is important for patients as well as doctors to be able to find their way around the facility quickly and efficiently. It is especially important in emergency situations. Directional signs clearly state where things are located in the building allowing nurses, doctors, and health care professionals to do their jobs and not be bothered or used as information stations. Hospitals and other health care providers are usually associated with stress, and a simple sign clearly stating where things are located can help ease some of the anxiety that comes with visiting these types of places. When you’re searching around a facility for a loved one that has been injured, these hospital signs can greatly assist you. These hospital signs are also helpful for simple things like finding the cafeteria after a trying day.

Maps of building serve many of the same purposes as directional signs. Maps allow traffic to flow through a building more smoothly. When things are clearly mapped out for the general public it allows everyone to do their job more efficiently. It is important to keep a sense of calm in any high risk building. Having maps clearly placed throughout these buildings helps everyone involved to feel more at ease. Directional signs can easily become overcrowded and over stimulating. When placing directional signs throughout a facility, it’s important to only put necessary stops and a limited amount of information on each sign. More signs with less information can be more effective than one sign containing all of the information.

Organizing Signs
Health care facilities can often make a visitor or patient feel like they are lost in a maze. Around every turn or corner there’s yet another maze awaiting you, and it could be half an hour before you run into someone that can help you find your way out. This is the reason that organizing hospital signs are so important. Even something as simple as an arrow can be a lifesaver for a lost patient. There are also signs pointing you towards important places in the facility such as the pharmacy or nurses station.

HSI creates an extremely wide range of these particular hospital signs. They come in a plethora of colors and many different shapes and sizes. They are available in rectangular, oval, square, and other various shapes. There are signs with just arrows, as well as signs with arrows and words telling you where multiple popular sites are. There are signs for certain areas of the building such as cancer wing or surgery center as well as more specific signs used to find an elevator or a specific room number. These signs can be used to find the stairs or the entrance and exit to a parking garage.

Directional hospital signs can be used on the outside of the facility as well. When you’ve been circling around a parking lot for an hour there’s nothing more comforting than an exit sign with a clearly stated route. They are also helpful in clearly indicating which entrances and exits may be used by civilians and which are to be used by personnel only.

Maps / You Are Here
Having maps and directional help around any health care facility is vital to the flow of the building. There are many different uses for maps and ‘you are here’ hospital signs, but the most important use is to orient the people in the hospital. Often times looking at a map can be as disorienting as being lost, so a simple red dot stating where you are on the map can be extremely helpful. These signs are very helpful in larger buildings and hospitals that have many wings and floors. These particular hospital signs are very specific to your certain building or facility.

Maps are tremendously significant and are even more effective when they include an escape route in case of emergency. In hospitals there are tons of hazards, and an emergency could happen at any minute. Maps that include escape routes help people feel more secure even when there are no emergencies. When caught in an emergency situation it is essential to have a clear map showing where you are and how to get out of the building. These signs have a red dot showing where you are and a red line showing your quickest escape route. These hospital signs are also specific to your particular building and come in a variety of sizes and are available with a plain white background or a colorful border.

In any large hospital or facility directory signs can have a significant role in the organization of the hospital. These hospital signs are often times the first place a patient or visitor goes when they enter the building. These boards can also be placed outside of the doors of the building so that people know where they’re going before they even enter. Clear and concise directions to different parts of the hospital can be found on these boards and when they are placed well, are extremely helpful to many people. Directory signs can help you find patient rooms, nurse’s stations, emergency rooms, elevators, stairs, the parking garage, the cafeteria, and other important places throughout the facility. These hospital signs can be elaborate and filled with decoration or very plain and straightforward. HSI offers the signs in many different colors and they are generally square or rectangular.

Safety Signs
When in a health care facility or hospital it may seem like you’re being invaded with safety signs. These hospital signs can be found almost everywhere and literally around every corner. The range from no smoking signs to evacuation routes. Safety signs help patients, visitors, and even providers stay aware of the dangers surrounding them. Hospitals are a hotbed for infection and disease and it’s important for people working in them or visiting them to be aware of these situations. Many times a simple “no” or even a red circle with a line through it can save a life or stop a disaster from occurring.

"NO" Signs
There are many restrictions about what you can and can’t bring into a health care facility. Hospital signs stating “no” help make it clear what is allowed on the premises.
Guns are not allowed in hospitals for many reasons, and often times no gun signs are placed clearly on the outside and inside of the building. Guns are dangerous in any setting, but can cause serious problems in a health care facility. There are many different flammable products used in a hospital that would cause an explosion if they were ignited by gunfire. Having a no gun policy in a hospital simply makes everyone feel safer. Hospital signs indicating that guns are not to be used are basic and simple. It is a simple white sign with a picture of a gun behind a bold red circle with a red dash through the middle.

No smoking signs are also used to keep harmful effects of cigarettes out of health care facilities. These hospital signs can be found inside and outside of the buildings. Outside of the building they clearly mark where smoking is and is not prohibited. Inside of the buildings they serve as a constant reminder that smoking is unacceptable inside any hospital. Second hand smoke is harmful to patients that have just undergone a procedure or are in recovery. Smoking around flammable chemicals or gasses could also cause a fire or explosion in a hospital or health care facility. No smoking signs are easily recognizable. They depict a lit cigarette with smoke billowing out of it behind the classic red circle with a line through the middle.

Hospital signs indicating no entry let the public know which parts of the hospital are open to them and which sections are too dangerous for entry. No entry signs also allow patients to be safeguarded from any outside contaminants that could be brought in by civilians. These signs are usually just the basic "no" sign, the red circle with a line through the middle. Anyone who sees this circle knows exactly what it means, and when placed on a door or entry way it is clear that you are not to enter. Another option is to use a sign that states, do not enter, in a large and colorful font. Placing these signs at eye level and in a noticeable place makes them more effective.

Signs indicating no cell phone use can also be found throughout hospitals. Cell phones are prohibited in hospitals because they can interfere with some of the equipment used in health care facilities. Hospital signs indicating no cell phone usage are just like other "no" signs. They have a picture of a cell phone with a bold red circle with a line through the middle on top of the picture. The red coloring and identifiable "no" circle makes this sign stand out and erases any doubt about which areas of the hospital are cell phone friendly. Many times no cell phone signs will also be placed in lobbies or common areas simply as a courtesy to the other people around you.

Evacuation
Evacuation signs enable you to know where to go in case an emergency happens while you are in the hospital. Some evacuation signs are detailed maps showing an exact route on how to exit the building efficiently and as quickly as possible, while others are simple arrows. There are advantages to both types of evacuation signs. The maps with evacuation routes on them are more detailed and give the reader more information, but are harder to figure out or read when you’re in an emergent situation. Simple arrows stating where exits or fire exits are located may be more helpful for someone that is in the middle of a stressful situation. Hospital signs used to display evacuation plans include maps with evacuation routes mapped out with a red line, and a red dot showing where you are. There are also evacuation signs that say 'exit' and have a picture of a running man. HSI offers these signs in all different colors and shapes.

There are also simpler signs that only say EXIT. Having these signs placed clearly around the hospital ensure that all of the people in the hospital or health care facility are fully aware of the exit routes at all times.

Health and Safety Procedure
There are numerous hospital signs that relay the importance of taking certain safety measures throughout any health care facility. There are signs that remind you to wash your hands, tell you where you can and cannot eat, where you can and cannot smoke, and other helpful instructions. Biohazard signs inform patients and visitors of which rooms contain harmful chemicals or gasses that should not be tampered with. Biohazard signs are easily recognizable and unmistakable. Some hospital signs have instructions on where it is safe to eat or drink. This is because it is unhealthy to have food or drink around certain chemicals that could contaminate or be contaminated. There are also signs that do the opposite, making sure that doctors or health care providers do not store any pathogens in certain areas that contain consumable foods.

Some patients in hospitals have very specific needs that cannot be overlooked. HSI makes hospital signs that ensure that no patient is given something that could be harmful to him or her. These signs indicate if patients are in isolation, are diabetic, are on oxygen, and many other things. Another important sign indicates if a patient has a latex allergy. Since all nurses and doctors are expected to wear latex gloves when handling a patient, it would be terrible if a provider was unaware of a patient’s latex allergy. Other types of hospital signs include dietary restrictions that a patient may have. When patients are on liquid diets or can’t have certain foods, it’s important that the nurses taking care of them be aware.

Area Specific Signs
Area specific signs around the hospital indicate what part of the hospital you are currently in or are entering. These signs clearly indicate where you are and make it easy to find where you’re going. These hospital signs guide you towards high traffic areas of the hospital such as the parking garage, cafeteria, lobby, nurse’s station, etc.

Parking
The garage in any hospital is quite possibly the most stressful area in the whole facility. Trying to find your way in and out and navigating around the impossible sharp curves is a nightmare on a good day. Signs indicating where the entrances and exits of the parking garage are located as well as which areas may be used by civilians should be placed clearly around the garage. Parking garages have a range of signs indicating specific people who are allowed to park in certain spaces. Handicap signs are used to reserve certain spaces that are closer to the entrance for those who are disabled and may need assistance walking for any length of time. These signs are generally blue or have the blue handicap symbol, a stick figure in a wheelchair, on them. Carpool only parking signs can also be found in parking garages, reserving spaces for those who choose to ride together. Other signs indicate that spaces are reserved for hospital staff and personnel. Other spots are reserved for ambulances, visitors, and even low emissions vehicles. Low emissions vehicles only signs are fairly new and hope to help motivate the general public to drive more energy efficient cars.

Lobby
Hospital signs are placed around the facility indicating where certain lobbies are located. There are signs directing you to the E.R. lobby, the patient lobby, the waiting lobby, the O.R. lobby, etc. There are signs in each lobby indicating whether or not you may eat, drink, smoke, or perform any other restricted behaviors.

Nurses Station
Nurses are the unsung heroes of any hospital or health care facility. Many times your nurse is the person that you interact with the most during a stay in a hospital. In case of an emergency, your nurse is the first one on the scene. It is important to be aware of the location of all nurses' stations in these circumstances. Signs indicating where the nurse’s stations are located can be found all around the hospital.

Emergency Room
Area signs designating where emergency rooms are serve dual purposes. They are informative and let people know where the emergency room is physically as well as where the entrances and exits are. They also let people know which areas are okay to be in and which areas are not. Emergency rooms can be extremely hectic spaces and signs can help control the chaos. Signs used to show where emergency rooms are located should be affixed in areas that are easily seen. Knowing where the entrance to an emergency room is can be vital when dealing in situations where seconds can be the difference in life and death. Signs are not only important to civilians walking in, but are also useful to motorists. When these hospital signs are used correctly they can ensure a safe flow of traffic in and out of emergency centers.

Administration Signs
Administration signs are used around hospitals as name plates on doors and offices of administrative officials. These signs are useful to workers in the hospital. When charts or important patient records need to be delivered to a certain doctor or nurse, a simple name plate can save a lot of time and keep mistakes from being made. Many times in hospitals doctors and other workers come and go, so administrative signs can be bought with interchangeable inserts so that you don’t have to replace them as often as you replace the staff.

Get the signs you need from Health Care Signs today!