Information flow is always important, but it’s never as critical as during a crisis. Here are 10 ways that you can use digital signs in public and staff areas to inform, educate and ease stress for everyone during a health crisis.
1. Combat Misinformation: Clarity and accuracy are critical during a health crisis. Use digital signs to list symptoms, how a condition spreads, the incubation period, and give links to trusted online sites for more information.
2. Show Statistics: Having the most current data makes people feel more informed and in control. Show stats in lists, graphs and data visualizations for number of cases, infection rates, and people treated, recovered and cured.
3. Give Guidelines: If there are local, state or federal guidelines, reinforce them on your signs. Let people know about quarantine protocols, who should get tested, and other recommendations or restrictions like social distancing.
4. Encourage Healthy Habits: Use your digital signs to remind people about covering their nose and mouth, washing hands often for at least 20 seconds, and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces and objects.
5. Curtail Contact: Use digital signage as a virtual concierge or info desk. By displaying directories, floor maps and answers to common questions on screens in common areas, you can lessen public interaction with your staff.
6. Educate & Entertain: To quell stress or boredom in common areas, use your screens to stream entertainment programs to take people’s minds off of the current crisis. This is especially important if you have small children visiting your facility.
7. Recognize Achievement: Positivity is important. Give thanks, kudos and inspiration on screens to continuously show appreciation and motivate your staff and viewers. Be sure to call out your local healthcare workers!
8. Minimize Transmission on Touchscreens: If you’re using interactive screens, put antiseptic wipes next to them with a sign asking people to wipe down after use. Or better yet, add a voice user interface to forego touching screens at all – people can simply ask the screen to show what they need.
9. Support Your Staff: It’s important to keep communications flowing behind the scenes during a crisis. Publish progress to goals, safety tips, and HR and administrative announcements to digital signs placed in staff areas and break rooms.
10. Broadcast Alerts: In case of an emergency or a vital announcement, you can override all screens at once to show critical updates with information and instructions for viewers.
Want to learn how to make your digital signage more effective? Read our Best Practices Guide.