Hospitals can use waiting room TV as a branding platform to share videos of doctors, services, and facilities. They can also create a playlist of wholesome content to help patients relax.
However, this can be a gamble because some programs produce negative emotions or even increase stress levels. That’s why healthcare design recommends a digital signage solution to control content.
Streaming Platforms
A high-quality streaming platform is a key part of a successful virtual waiting room solution. It needs to have ultra-low latency, provide seamless audio synchronization, and offer appropriate content for healthcare patients of all ages. It should also be HIPAA-compliant and easily customizable to your specific medical clinic’s branding guidelines.
Patients tend to retain a mere 10% of the information conveyed in text format, but this figure jumps to 95% when those messages are communicated through engaging videos. As a result, TV programming for doctor’s waiting rooms in the hospital is the ideal medium for communicating your organization’s key health-related messages to your patients.
One example of this would be to highlight the shingles vaccine’s positive impact on local communities or to showcase the meager incidence rate for COVID-19-related side effects. Disinformation is a common cause of mistrust of vaccines, so using your hospital’s waiting room TV to communicate this important information can make all the difference. Streaming platforms allow you to display broadcast loops and on-demand entertainment that your patient population will appreciate. You can also customize your content based on the time of day, thereby maximizing the effectiveness of your message.
Customized Content
A flat-screen television in a hospital waiting room can be entertaining or frustrating. Patients may feel at the mercy of whatever is on the air if the content is a muted stream of cable news or emotionally charged political commentary. As a result, some patients mentally shut out the TV. However, suppose the hospital wait area offers engaging visuals, such as videos of time-lapsed buds delicately opening or cute baby animals frolicking in the grass. In that case, it can ease patient tension and pass the time. Moreover, video content can communicate important information and educate hospital visitors. Research shows that patients retain just 10% of what is conveyed through text, which jumps to 95% when the information is delivered through videos.
Using digital signage in your waiting room, you can control what is displayed and ensure that only your hospital-approved advertisements are shown. This is one of the main benefits of choosing a digital signage platform over traditional cable TV.
Family-Friendly Entertainment
Many patients get nervous in hospitals, and a flat-screen TV might help relieve some of that anxiety. However, it’s important for hospitals to carefully consider what kinds of content they want to display in their waiting rooms. For example, pediatricians recommend that children be exposed to minimal screen time, so hospitals should avoid displaying anything too childish on their waiting room screens.
The right streaming platform can also provide families with family-friendly entertainment in hospital waiting rooms. For instance, a company has a selection of channels that feature a mix of educational shows and classic sitcoms, including the iconic I Love Lucy. This provides the perfect blend of entertainment and education that can help keep patients engaged while they wait to see their doctor.
Finally, the right waiting room TV service can also allow hospitals to use their waiting room television screens as a branding opportunity. They can share slides showcasing their doctors’ profiles, services, and facilities on their waiting room TV screens to humanize the hospital experience and make visitors feel at home. Additionally, hospitals can use their waiting room TV screens to show educational videos that teach visitors how to take care of their health.
Auto-Change Channels
Waiting rooms can be nerve-wracking, particularly for hospital patients waiting on a life-changing diagnosis or surgery. Having TVs playing engaging content in your waiting room can help time fly by so that an hour’s wait feels like 20 minutes. However, not all types of visual entertainment are suitable for a hospital environment, as some can be too rowdy or contain content that some patients would find displeasing.
With a private label TV solution, you can automatically change your waiting room channels to display the content you want your guests to see. This eliminates the need for staff members to manually switch the channel so that your guests can enjoy quality entertainment without getting bored.
For businesses with long wait times, such as auto shops and medical offices, waiting room TV can improve customer relationships by helping people connect with staff via shared interests and boosting satisfaction while waiting. With the right streaming platform and a wide range of customizable digital signage content, you can use your waiting room TV to build customer trust while driving revenue for your business.
