Have you ever been frustrated waiting at the doctor’s office for what seems like forever only to be informed by the front desk office assistant you have one or two patients still ahead of you? If so? You are not alone. Many people have similar experiences in various medical practices. Medical office digital signage can make a huge difference in transforming the patient experience in medical office waiting rooms by keeping the patient informed and engaged.
What is digital signage?
Digital Signage is a type of electronic signage that uses LCD, LED, e-paper, and projection technology to display digital information on a screen. It is used as a network of displays centrally controlled that is addressed individually to send data to multiple screens in texts, videos, and animated messages. It is controlled remotely via a central web interface.
Digital signage is a cloud-based system that is both economical and efficient. Simultaneously performing multiple tasks on various screens is one queue attribute of the digital signage system.
Alleviating the Stress of Wait Times
Apart from the occasional magazines and flyers found in doctors’ offices, patients don’t have much available to aid with passing the extended wait times. They are often left overwhelmed, annoyed, and unhappy.
Complaints increases, and frequent visits to the front desk to speak with the nurses and other medical staff further burden the inundated employees. The doctors’office team can often do very little or nothing to appease the patient’s frustration. Here is where medical office digital signage becomes an integral part of the patient experience.
Electronic signage can alleviate perceived wait times and their associated stress by 35%. Thus, contributing to a more happy, fulfilling patient experience. There are fewer complaints and interruptions made to office staff. The medical team can then focus on completing the task at hand, reducing overall delays and boosting productivity and efficiency.
Patients can focus on the digital display screen that keeps them informed of events such as wait times, their medical conditions, other medical conditions, what foods to eat. They can receive suggestions on where to buy the best quality foods, healthy ways to prepare those foods, and where to find snacks while they wait in the doctor’s office.
In medical waiting rooms, electronic signage can notify patients of where to locate restrooms and remind them to ask for their prescription refills and transportation if they need it. It can also let them know of upcoming community events or drives that the medical practice or other facilities might be a part of. Thereby, boosting a positive patient experience.
Safety and Security
As an emergency alert system, doctors’ office electronic signage can sound an alarm throughout the facility, warning patients and the office team of imminent danger. It also acts as a navigational guide giving people the safest route options to exit the building. At the same time, informing them of the compromised areas, they need to avoid.
When not in an emergent crisis, the digital signage screen can inform the staff and patients of general safety procedures. The system also has security measures to guard against hackers and other potential security breaches to protect patient information.
Communicate Efficiently with Employees
Electronic signage can communicate protocol updates, general procedures to follow on each shift, various schedules and shift assignments, corporate events, new treatments available, and upcoming training for the medical team.
It can display inventory updates so that the staff knows what supplies are in-stock and what needs re-ordering. The screen can demonstrate the techniques of several rudimentary skills such as CPR, ACLS, PALS, and NALS and remind the staff to check their certification card expiration dates.
The practice digital signage screen is a more suitable choice for replacing the dated handwritten notice board. Often, notice boards are not updated promptly or regularly. Nurses and medical staff are very busy. And do not always have the time to update these boards.
Replacing notice boards with digital signage screens means information would be up-to-date automatically, be accurate, and ready for use. Avoidable errors caused by inaccurate information would decrease significantly.
An Additional Income Stream
Digital signage in the doctors’ office can generate an additional stream of income for the practice. The practice can charge an advertising fee to promote products and services of local and other businesses. You can display promotional information in the waiting room, staff areas, and other public areas.
The Biography of the Practice
The History and Biography of medical practices are fundamental aspects of the business. Patients are more informed now than ever. They might want to know the credentials and level of experience of the medical professionals taking care of them. The medical office digital signage screen is a great tool to convey that data to patients.
Doctors’ offices can input on the screen photos and brief individual videos of some professional background data on each of the practices’ current employees based on what they are willing to share publicly. Patients can view this information while they wait in the waiting room. Having some knowledge of the practices’ staff members’ credentials is sure to bring a notion of peace to many patients’ minds. Thus improving the overall patent experience.
Cost-Effectiveness
Digital signage is cost-effective in that it keeps patients engaged in the medical practices’ waiting rooms. Patients are calmer and less agitated. Patients are more likely to return to the same group of doctors for continued care. Retaining patients increases profit margins. It saves time and cost by automatically updating information and eliminating the need for notice boards.
Medical digital signage has durability and will last for some time.
It is fast and has many abilities for which it can be used. It eliminates the need for magazine subscriptions or for purchasing magazines at newsstands. You can create more space when the office magazine stand is away. Another chair or two can be placed in the waiting room to provided seating capabilities for more patients.
The practice can generate significant profits from advertising both medically related and unrelated products and services.
Digital Displays for your Medical Office
Digital signage is great for your medical practice. The displays will modernize and revolutionize the way you run your business. The electronic displays will inform and remind your patients and employees of the particular type of services you offer and your service’s standard of care.
It will keep your patients in your practice waiting room entertained and looking at the display screen. Patients will pass the time spent in the waiting room with ease. This increases the likelihood of repeat patients and will help to generate positive word of mouth advertising, bringing in new potential patients to the practice.
You can remind your staff of current procedures and treatments. It is a tool as useful as a teaching aid. It saves a lot of time that would otherwise be used manually writing updates on a notice board or trying to appease frustrated patients in the waiting room.
Having digital displays in your practice office makes all the difference between a positive waiting room experience and a less than happy one.
Electronic display signage improves the patient experience. Your medical office requires it. Be sure to check it out. Medical office digital signage brings your medical practice into the future.
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