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The Advantages Of Digital Signage In Hospitals

Consumer Information & Wayfinding Staff Information Visitor Management Healthcare

Hospitals are high-stress and high-anxiety environments, and this isn’t isolated to patients and visitors. Almost half (44%) of all NHS staff (40% of doctors) reported becoming or feeling unwell because of work-related stress.

Author

upperdog

Published

07/18/22

Staff are busy and patients are coming and going all hours of the day and the night – it’s the workplace that never sleeps. Hospitals and healthcare environments need signage, communication and processes that can keep up with the demand, whilst lowering stress and anxiety for staff and patients.

Hospital digital signage can make life easier for staff, whilst enhancing the patient experience. Medical digital signage is one of the most effective ways to visually communicate, guide patients to the correct location, reduce anxiety with clear messaging and helpful information and to improve internal communications using real-time information on a digital screen.

1. Wayfinding In Hospitals

Hospitals and healthcare facilities have lots of wings, wards and waiting rooms. This can be confusing for the patient, which can result in frustration and increased anxiety. Digital signage in hospitals is THE best solution to improve wayfinding in hospitals and help steer people in the right direction, through the premises.

Not only does this improve the experience for the patients, but it helps appointments run on-time, as less people will be showing up late or missing appointments due to being lost. In the US, interruptions caused by confusing hospital wayfinding costs hospitals approximately $220,000 per year.

Patients will be able to get to their destination quicker, due to being able to find the most direct route to their correct location with the help of clear hospital digital signage and interactive kiosk solutions.

Improved hospital wayfinding will also aid the overall running of the hospital as healthcare staff are then free from directing traffic to focus on other tasks. Additionally, face-to-face interactions in hallways can be minimised, which can reduce the transmission of viruses within hospitals and avoid reduced workforce due to staff sickness.

2. Educate

Healthcare digital signage can inform patients and visitors about current pandemic guidelines, relevant health advice, and general healthcare tips. The current Covid-19 pandemic has made sharing correct and accurate health advice more prevalent and necessary than ever before, and digital signage is the perfect vehicle to communicate this.

Emergency rooms and A&E can also have their waiting times cut and care streamlined just by implementing effective digital signage triage systems. Triage healthcare kiosks can sort patients based on their symptoms or level of injury. Medical digital signage can display this information to help patients make the most informed decision regarding the care required based on their symptoms and then assistance from the display screens.

3. Reduce Anxiety

Hospital digital signage solutions displaying wait times and appointment information instantly reduce the stress of not knowing when it is likely that a patient will be seen by a medical professional.

Engaging healthcare information displayed on waiting room screens can also bring welcome distractions to anxious patients, with the added benefit of providing helpful information.

Surgical waiting rooms can share status updates with anxious families, using numbers or codes rather than names, to see exactly when their loved ones go into the operating room and when they are moved to recover. Whilst reducing anxiety, this also relieves staff from having to share constant updates.

Medical digital signage can also display information about the doctors and healthcare staff that will be assisting them that day. This helps connect patients to doctors at an emotional level, making the hospital experience less daunting for those requiring treatment and healthcare services.

Additionally, success stories, inspirational videos and champion doctors who have succeeded in life-saving surgeries will help inspire, motivate and boost the morale of those who are undergoing long-term treatments.

4. Communicate

Digital signage is the fastest way to display emergency alerts, as it is connected across the entire premises. Messages can be synchronised across all displays and quickly deliver vital information to patients and staff.

Less urgent information also benefits from being shared on hospital digital signage display screens. The old-fashioned paper on a pinboard is outdated, messy, cluttered and ineffective. Information can quickly become outdated or irrelevant and updating the information is time-consuming.

Digital signage allow for strategic information updates, marketing, digital menu boards and more. Plus, internal communication can also be simplified. Screens installed in staff areas can stream channels to keep staff updated. Hygiene protocol, shifts and task reminders can also be displayed.

5. Experience

The patient and staff experience in hospitals is vastly improved by hospital digital signage solutions. Efficiency, communication, hospital wayfinding and reduced anxiety and stress all contribute to a better experience for all.

Would you like to find out more about our digital signage solutions for healthcare? Then get in contact with imageHOLDERS today. We specialise in custom healthcare kiosks and hospital digital signage solutions and will be happy to answer any of your questions. Call us today on 01202 892 863 (UK) or 1-888-9778 (US).

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Request a call with an account manager, make a general enquiry, or download our brochure for more information on our visitor management software. If you’d like to speak to us straight away, call UK: 01202 892863 or USA: +1 877 450 2172. We look forward to hearing from you!