Surgery network has answers to health queries
A public-sector healthcare body in Britain is using digital signage to educate patients at more than 60 doctors’ offices.
The South Birmingham Primary Care Trust (PCT), part of the UK’s National Health Service, has installed screens in about 65 surgeries to give members of the public advice on common health issues.
It hopes to boost staff productivity by freeing workers from dealing with frequently-asked questions, as well as improving patient awareness of potential problems, leading to better health and fewer visits.
Showing local TV and RSS news feeds as well as government-sponsored health video content, the network is also intended to reduce perceived wait times by providing an alternative to the dog-eared piles of old magazines commonly found in waiting rooms.
The PCT controls the network centrally from its head office in Kings Norton, near the city of Birmingham in central England, using a Onelan system based on the firm’s Net-Top-Boxes (NTBs). Each surgery has a Century NTB 615 unit, while the Kings Norton headquarters has three Millennium NTB 5000s.
Screen content can also be altered at each location by receptionists, for example to advise patients of delays in seeing the doctor, and emergency messaging can over-ride scheduled material.
Technology for the digital-signage network is managed by IT firm SCC and by Onelan’s sister company OneMedia Services, which monitors all the local Net-Top-Boxes and provides the PCT’s head office with status reports by email.
www.onelandigitalsignage.com
www.onemediaservices.com
www.scc.com
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