Pathology

Synonyms / Other Terms Used

Pathology Department, Pathologist, Anatomical Pathology, Anatomic Pathology

Category

Public Services, Public Facilities, Health Care, Clinical Facilities

Message / Function

To indicate the location of a clinical facility that deals with the study of disease and injury

	Source	Description
	CNIS	Side view of a optical microscope showing several details
A)	SEGD/HJ	Side view of a optical microscope showing several details, specimen
75	Hablamos Juntos	Side view of a optical microscope showing several details, specimen
60	Hablamos Juntos	Side view of upper part of human figure bent over optical microscope, horizontal bar below
75	Hablamos Juntos	Side view of upper part of human figure next to microscope, specimen
10	Hablamos Juntos	Upper part of human figure pointing towards monitor above, horizontal bar below
60	Hablamos Juntos	Writing human figure behind table with two test tubes in rack in side view, folder symbol with cross above
	Fassati	Frontal view of human figure intersected by horizontal bar
	Asheeqa	Side view of two test tubes in rack behind round object in perspective view

Note: Some of the examples shown above were mirrored horizontally to contrast differences.

Discussion

The range of pictograms shown in the table above gives a good hint of the diversity of variants and image contents available to indicate clinical facilities that deal with the study of disease and injury. Care has to be taken to avoid confusions with Laboratory, as several image contents seem quite similar.

Hablamos Juntos in partnership with SEGD (the Society for Environmental Graphic Design) developed several test designs to signify Pathology, of which five pictograms were subjected to a test on basis of the Comprehensibility Estimation procedure (Fontaine et al., 2010). With median scores ranging from 75 down to 10 none of the pictograms examined was judged as well comprehensible. The numbers next to the pictograms in the table above are the median estimation scores reported for the corresponding pictograms in this study. Regarding these results a new variant - labeled as SEGD/HJ and marked A) above - was designed on basis of the variant rated as most comprehensible.

In a follow up project this symbol also was examined by Zender & Cassedy (2014) using the ISO/ANSI Open-ended Comprehension Test to find out if this variant is understood just as well in a different culture, and if not, why it does not work. Test results from the United States and Tanzania reveal that this pictogram was correctly understood primarily by local respondents with advanced medical literacy in Tanzania, where 95 % of the responses of this sample could be classified as correct. In the two U.S. samples only 28 % resp. 12 % of the answers given were correct, but surprisingly 55 % of the typical local patients in the Tanzanian sample answered correctly. So this variant practically failed in both countries. Details on wrong responses concerning this referent are not available, so we cannot tell anything about the amount of confusions with Laboratory, and which aspects should be regarded when designing a new pictogram variant.

Recommendations

Due to the fact that data from research is insufficient, we recommend testing using the Comprehensibility Estimation procedure for eliminating poor variants and identifying the best of the set available, followed by a Comprehension Test. These studies should deliver useful data for recommending the best pictogram. Detailed information about the most frequent responses given in each of the response categories of the Comprehension Test should be provided to correctly judge comprehensibility and improve designs. Also information concerning knowledge about this medical specialization should be collected at the end of the test, as studies suggest that many terms used for healthcare facilities are often not understood well by people visiting hospitals or related institutions.

Tests of pictograms of referent Pathology

Fontaine, L., Fernández, O., & Middleton, D. (2010): Universal Symbols in Health Care - Symbol Design Research Report. SEGD.

Zender, M., & Cassedy, A.E. (2014): (Mis)understanding: Icon Comprehension in Different Cultural Contexts. Visible Language, 48, 69.