Ways Digital Signage Can Benefit the Medical Industry
In previous blogs, we’ve explored how digital signage can Personalise Customer Experience in Transportation and Digital signage in the Retail Industry. In this blog, we take a look at how digital signage can benefit the medical industry.
Digital signage in the medical setting can take a range of forms, from interactive touchscreen kiosks that allow patients to check-in and schedule new appointments at the GP surgery, to digital video screens displaying important safety messages throughout a large hospital. Digital signage solutions can bring many benefits, not just for patients, but also for medical staff. Let’s take a closer look.
Patient benefits
- Increased patient satisfaction
Digital signage solutions, such as interactive touchscreen kiosks, can help to increase overall patient satisfaction levels, since they speed up processes such as patient check-in, record updates and future appointment scheduling.
By allowing the customer to undertake these tasks as a self-service option, unnecessary person-to-person contact is avoided and staff time can be freed up to deal with more complex enquiries – reducing queuing and wait time.
- Decreased perceived wait time
Video screens in patient waiting rooms allow patients to engage with high-quality content that is targeted to their needs and also helps in decreasing perceived wait time. Recent studies have shown that 97% of patients are frustrated by long wait times, but when patients are presented with digital signage, they report a 33% decrease in perceived wait time.
- Eased anxiety around appointments
Medical appointments and procedures can be a large source of stress and anxiety, especially in the post-pandemic world where many patients might feel nervous about reentering the healthcare environment. On-screen entertainment in waiting areas and hospital wards can take a patient’s mind off the moment and help to decrease stress and anxiety around appointments.
- Health awareness and government guidelines
Digital signage in the healthcare setting can be a valuable way for patients to obtain important health-related information and government guidelines in relation to COVID-19.
In contrast to hardcopy materials such as waiting room posters, which quickly become outdated, digital signage solutions allow information to be constantly updated and remain relevant. In addition, the option to add movement to digital signage campaigns helps to capture viewers’ attention and make the information more digestible.
The ability to share and update information in realtime is particularly important as the healthcare sector transitions out of the pandemic, since there will be a need to share up-to-date information on the latest government guidelines and social distancing regulations.
- Guiding patients in the right direction
Large hospitals can be confusing, and patients can easily get lost finding the right ward. Interactive maps and directories offered on self-service kiosks can guide patients in the right direction, and save time for busy staff who might have to offer directions.
Unlike static maps, interactive maps are easier to use since they condense the information, showing hospital visitors only the information that they need. Ensuring a regulated flow of customers will also help in capacity management strategies in the post-pandemic world; having lost patients wandering around multiple wards is only going to increase the risk of unnecessary contact and infection spread.
Health practitioner benefits
- Lower the cost of health awareness materials and signage
Constantly refreshing and reprinting posters, signage and leaflets to make sure that information is up to date and relevant can put on a strain on resources. This is especially true of information regarding the coronavirus outbreak, which is constantly evolving. With digital signage options, information can be constantly updated and changed with a few simple clicks, and without any added costs.
- Reduced strain on human resources
Interactive kiosks can help patients carry out simple tasks and obtain basic information, such as checking in or finding directions within a hospital, without having to ask staff. This allows staff to focus their time on urgent or more complex enquiries, and also reduces any unnecessary contact to keep staff and patients safe.
- Internal communication
Hospitals can be huge, and communicating information rapidly and effectively between different wards can be a challenge. Digital signage solutions around hospitals can help to share important information such as bed availability, staff scheduling, or emergency information, for example in the case of a fire evacuation. - Constant and recurring staff training
Interactive digital signage can offer staff training videos on demand. This can be a very useful way to introduce new staff to policies and procedures, or provide current staff with opportunities to refresh their knowledge easily and efficiently whenever the need arises. It’s unlikely that large-group training events will be possible in the near future, so having alternative options will ensure that staff stay up-to-date on their training and skills.
Here at Distec, we offer a range of digital signage options ideally suited for the healthcare industry, including Digital Signage Players, Interactive Kiosks, Touch Screen Panels, Digital Information Boards and Video Screens. Our recent partnership with NowSignage now allows us to offer their cloud-based Digital Signage CMS Platform to provide a complete end-to-end digital signage solution.
For more information about our digital signage solutions, get in touch here.