Has Digital Signage Come of Age in Hospitals?
Walk into any major retailer or entertainment venue, and it’s a good bet that digital signage will grab your attention in some way. Maybe you want to find the nearest concession stand or catch video snippets of the game action at a sports arena. At the grocery store, perhaps you want to peruse the specials of the day or watch a cooking demonstration.
In our infotainment-heavy culture, digital signage has been a staple for at least the last decade in businesses like these, and their impact has been seen in increased customer engagement.
A 2010 Neilson study of 120 grocery stores found that 4 out of 5 brands experienced increases of up to 33% in additional sales compared to when using printed signage alone. And, 68% of customers agreed that digital signage would “influence their decision to buy the advertised product in the future.” Some 44% said digital signage would “influence them to buy the advertised product instead of one they planned to buy.”
WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH HOSPITALS?
Obviously, hospitals are not selling consumer products. Rather, hospitals are “selling” high quality, convenient, person-centered healthcare experiences. Furthermore, unlike retail or entertainment venues, hospitals face the added challenge of business hours that never close. The around-the-clock, constant flow of people exacerbates the hospital’s ability to continually communicate timely, relevant information.
Regardless of the time of day or night, it’s imperative to make the hospital experience as positive, informative, and engaging as possible, in the most efficient way possible.
The opportunity for digital signage to fill those consumer preferences is clear. Recent studies found that 83% of patients interact with a hospital’s digital content for a “significant amount of time.” In another study, 78% of patients surveyed said they actively seek out digital healthcare solutions.
LEARN MORE: E3 PATIENT ENGAGEMENT SOLUTIONS
FOUR WAYS TO USE DIGITAL SIGNAGE IN HOSPITALS
From the lobby and waiting areas to patient rooms and employee lounges, digital signage presents many potential uses. Here are a few ways you can use digital signage in your hospital.
Help Navigate the Hospital
Finding your way around a hospital can be challenging in the best of situations. Factor in that many hospital visitors are patients who don’t feel well and may be anxious about their visit. Interactive way-finding through digital signage eases that anxiety and helps patients and families get to their appointments on time and with less stress.
Improve Wait Time
You may pride yourself on a short wait time in your ED or procedure check-in desks, but your patients may have a different perception. A recent study showed that people on average overestimate wait times by 36%.
Digital signage can help reduce that perceived wait time by distracting and entertaining patients with news clips, engaging health education videos, and infotainment. Use it to introduce patients to your care team or your newest services or high-tech equipment. Take advantage of a captive audience to promote upcoming hospital-sponsored health education events.
Encourage Donor Engagement
Increasingly, hospitals are leveraging digital signage to recognize and encourage donor support. Share news about how the hospital foundation is helping the hospital make a difference in the lives of the community. Highlight individual donors with video interviews that convey why and how they support the foundation. Provide a call to action that is engaging and gives the viewers a way to personally get involved.
Make Meal Orders Easy
Food service is a perennially low-scoring area when it comes to patient satisfaction for many hospitals. Adding menus to your digital signage screens can help change that. Digital menu screens make it easy for patients, families, and even employees to quickly choose menu items. Sentric’s digital signage dashboard also makes it easy for the hospital. The user can quickly change menu offerings and prices, promote seasonal or daily specials, and even show nutritional information. The ROI can be seen in increased food service revenue, in addition to higher patient satisfaction scores.
Digital signage has come of age for hospitals, with many potential uses and benefits. The Sentrics E3 digital signage solution simplifies the process of adding, changing, and even customizing content to specific areas within the hospital.
If your hospital is looking to improve patient communication and provide a more engaging hospital experience, talk to us. Our E3 solution is helping hospitals across the U.S. deliver a better patient experience more effectively.
Learn more: www.engagewithallen.com