WAYFINDING AND SIGNAGE
Left: Neurilink worked with Exterity to design an IPTV system for Overlake Medical Center that would satisfy the varying demands of both the hospital staff and patients.
Below: The Overlake Medical Center is a 350-bed, non-profit regional hospital, located in Bellevue in Washington State.
Minimising personal contact Digital signage can play a vital role in minimising personal contact – by helping direct visitors to the correct consultation or treatment areas, to facilities such as vending machines and rest rooms, and to public handwashing and sanitising stations. Making sure that people know where they are going, and what to do when they get there, is critical in the age of COVID-19. What’s more, streaming key messages, and even health and safety videos, in hospitals and other healthcare facilities further reinforces underlying efforts to keep these places safe.
Digital deployments Many digital signage deployments are seen as a form of one-way communication, but a growing number of interactive systems can be utilised in conjunction with these at entrances to healthcare facilities to welcome patients and streamline ‘check-in’ processes through touchscreens and kiosks. Digital signage can be employed to inform visitors where and how to begin to ‘check in’, and can include a range of other valuable messages for those entering a hospital, including visiting hours, queue management information, and wayfinding directions to departments and other on- site facilities. Combining digital signage with sign-in applications helps improve the overall visitor experience, while minimising interaction with staff. The use of AV systems is not just about day patients either. Inpatient stays can also benefit from enhanced communication tools and bedside TV entertainment. For instance, Qatar’s Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) deploys IPTV and digital signage technologies throughout hospital sites and patient rooms, helping patients feel connected to the outside world – a critical concern during the COVID crisis. The IPTV system facilitates the delivery of 120 live and video on demand channels to inform, entertain, and support the patients and guests. Digital signage solutions enable facilities such as those run by HMC to create, manage, and display, dynamic messaging across each site, communicating important updates on COVID-19 safety measures and guidelines.
60 Health Estate Journal June 2022
Overcoming challenges Staff are also able to overcome communication challenges through digital signage deployments. Many healthcare providers use ward notice boards and internal email to keep staff abreast of new developments, which can sometimes be problematic amid an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ crisis. Due to COVID-19, the ability of ward staff to find time to update static boards and check emails may be severely limited – and cleaners and other contractors may have no access to email at all. Many facilities now use digital signage
to efficiently update staff across various locations, including break rooms, treatment zones, and admission areas. These displays can quickly distribute critical information such as policy changes, patient information, staff rosters, operation schedules, ongoing training opportunities, human resources information, and, perhaps most critically, patient intake statuses.
Little human interaction By linking digital signage to hospital management systems, these critical updates can be dynamically created and displayed on defined screens with little human interaction – saving time and effort. Most facilities have been running at full capacity for months, so digital signage and IP video has also been an incredibly useful way of training and communicating work protocols to staff – providing instructions on matters such as cleaning communal equipment, following new procedures for deliveries, and using cafeterias, kitchens, and other shared facilities. Another big plus for digital signage in an evolving situation is that an organisation can
easily add more screens to the network and update these remotely in real time. Critically, digital signage can also be used to trigger emergency alerts and messaging.
Digital readiness IPTV and digital signage technologies have played a major role in onsite communications at healthcare facilities before COVID, and then at each stage of the pandemic. Although COVID-19 vaccination programmes are being rolled out around the world, the prospect of new variants changing circumstances, or the possibility of another type of outbreak, means that being prepared to rapidly adapt and provide up-to-date communications to staff, patients, and others who are on site, will remain of critical importance to hospitals and other medical facilities. The fact that healthcare providers need to be prepared for any eventuality also means that exploring innovative new technologies to foster better digital communication should remain indefinitely on the agenda of senior leaders in healthcare settings. Let us look at another example of such
technologies in action. Located in the heart of the Pacific Northwest’s technology hub, Overlake Medical Center is a 350- bed, non-profit regional hospital. Overlake was founded in 1960 by community volunteers, and still depends on volunteers to support the running of the hospital. It is distinguished for its cardiac and surgical services, and regularly ranks as one of the top 100 heart care programmes in the US, rated as a top performer in the state of Washington. The hospital has received many awards and recognitions,
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