Top Tips for Medical Digital Signage

Medical digital signage has big potential within healthcare. It can improve patient experience, make information easier to see and understand and can improve internal communications with staff. So what tips do you need to make the most of your digital displays? Read on to find out.

1. Educate your viewers

You know all of those leaflets you give out to patients that get chucked in the bin? Put them up on screen. Audiences are much more receptive to content when it comes in screen form. Using your digital signs as medical information boards also means that while waiting, patients have something to look at. This also means they’ll retain more of the information, that might otherwise be forgotten about as they walk out of the door.

You could easily come up with content ideas that educate all viewers, regardless of condition. Information about seasonal healthcare, regulations and new treatment offerings and plans are universally useful. Ensuring your screens are viewed and appreciated by everyone in sight.

2. Engage audiences

Particularly in the waiting room, audiences could often use a distraction. Make your content engaging so that it makes a difference to the patient experience. If you need inspiration, check out the ScreenCloud App Store where there are 50 apps readily available for you to make great content choices. From social media, to live news feeds, video content and noticeboards, digital signage content doesn’t have to be boring.

3. Create art

Yes your digital signage boards are first and foremost information providers, but have you also considered their power as digital wall art? We’ve seen first hand how digital signage can be used to improve wellbeing within medical facilities. Within patient waiting areas you can use video playlists, art displays, playlists of cinemagraphs, proven to lower stress levels, and other types of entertaining content to set the scene for your audience. The flexible nature of digital displays means you aren’t limited to just one type of wallpaper. You can set up your digital displays to create the type of ambience you need, for any audience, at any time. Whether that’s images and videos of animals for a children’s clinic in the morning and the news, or travel images, for a more grown-up one in the afternoon.

4. Use advertising to drive revenue

When in a medical setting there’s often a lot of waiting around. No one wants to be bombarded with advertising sure, but actually, branded content paired with useful content can be a great match. This is where digital signage playlists and schedules come in handy. By organizing your playlist you can easily set two or three useful pieces of content to play (think social media feeds, news, travel updates) followed by an advert or video from one of your revenue partners. This breaks the static display and means audiences will be more receptive to the advert as a result.

Don’t just stop there either, think about how you can advertise your own internal services to help generate more revenue. Got a space you can rent out? Pop it up on screen. Running an event or charity initiative? Drive people there by advertising it on your own personal digital display boards.

5. Think internal communication

Your digital signage displays don’t have to be for just your patients. Medical staff also need information to be delivered easily and to be kept up to date. In staff rooms or staff areas, medical digital signage boards can be used to update staff members and display key information such as staff rotas and finishing times. You can even allow staff different permissions and access to specific screens, so that they can control what goes up and when. The biggest bugbear with most printed content is that it updates almost before the ink’s dry. With digital signage, you can update your notices in seconds, from any laptop or PC, wherever you are. When content is relevant and timely, your staff are much more likely to absorb it.

6. Make the journey easier

Travel boards are a great way to make the journeys of your patients just that little bit easier. With an app like Google Traffic or Transit Screen you can direct live travel information to your screens. This means patients can work out the best method and route of getting home more quickly, which can be quite a relief after a long wait or treatment session.

7. Share emotive content

One great way to use digital signage in a medical setting is to honor past and present patients. One example is through a donor wall, where (with permission) you can honor donors and increase giving. This is a feel-good way to use digital signage to make an emotive connection with your audience. Everyone likes to be recognized and even for friends and family of the donor, they get a little nod at what their family member was able to achieve. There are lots of ways you can use emotive content within medical digital signage. Think personal stories of triumph, recognition of brave journeys and those who have supported your healthcare centre through charity projects or fundraising.