How Care Teams Can Use Whiteboards to Effectively Work Together

Hospital whiteboards are primarily used to treat patients. They are effective communication tools that can increase patient satisfaction, comfort and involvement in their care. But this is not their only use in medical settings; hospital whiteboards are also an effective means of communication among staff members. Care teams utilize these boards to coordinate the treatment of patients along with a variety of other uses. It’s why they are so commonly placed in surgical, trauma and emergency areas of hospitals. They can also be used at nurses’ stations and in so many other areas of a hospital. 

How do hospital whiteboards help care teams manage their days? There are many ways they are used in hospitals across the country.

Managing Duties and Tasks 

Whiteboards placed in any area of the hospital can be used by care teams to coordinate daily tasks, manage to-do-lists and divide responsibilities based on who will be working and on-call for the day. Using a custom whiteboard, team leaders can keep track of: 

Keeping track of tasks increases efficiency and breeds a team-based environment where everyone works together to accomplish more. It also brings organization and accountability to day-to-day processes. 

Tracking Resources and Staff 

Using whiteboards, care teams can easily track the resources and available staff in any given area, floor, or wing of a facility. This can help call attention to items that need to be restocked in storage closets, effectively placing staff members in areas where they are needed most and coordinating other resources that help provide better treatment and services to patients.  

All these improvements in resource tracking can improve efficiency throughout the facility, reduce stress on care team members and maybe even influence HCAHPS scores. When care providers can more effectively treat, they provide a much higher level of service to patients. 

The ability to track staff and resources can also contribute to their ability to solve problems and work through challenges they encounter throughout the day. By communicating who is available throughout the day, teams can work together effectively to negotiate their way through a variety of issues that may arise during a shift.   

Team Building Through Communication 

Whiteboards are, primarily, communication boards. They help team members come together to tackle tasks, solve problems and even develop greater relationships through socialization. When every member of a care team is using whiteboards placed throughout a facility to communicate with one another, their level of teamwork can increase as they build relationship by working together. Whiteboards are great for treating patients, but they can also transform the ways hospital employees work together to get the job done right. 

Ready to discover how custom whiteboard solutions can change the way your team works together? Contact Ghent Healthcare below!