Improving patient care in hospitals has presented itself to be a consistent challenge for nurses and other care providers. Effective methods of communication are not always easy to implement, and very few tactics have proven to not only increase patient comfort and satisfaction while simultaneously increasing their understanding of the their care plan.

Using custom hospital whiteboards is one of these practices that accomplishes all three.

Follow the Research

Extensive research has been conducted on the effects that whiteboards have on patient care, and the results of these studies have shown them to be overwhelmingly positive. When hospital whiteboards are customized, these effects make it even easier for nursing staff to further increase the level of patient care.

Some of the results of these studies include:

• Patient whiteboards improve patient awareness of their care team and their overall satisfaction.

• Communication using whiteboards improved patient satisfaction scores in medical wards and involved them more in decision making.

• Whiteboards can improve patient flow, but a planned approach to their use is necessary.

Designing the Right Kind of Hospital Whiteboard

The last of the studies listed above presented the most interesting point of them all. The results of this study showed how whiteboards can improve patient care, but their implementation must be structured.

It's not enough to simply place whiteboards into a hospital setting without a plan. A bit of thought must go into their design as well as the care provider's plan to use them during treatment.

There are a few choices involved in designing a custom whiteboard. The process isn't complicated, and our design team here at VividBoard is here to offer guidance from start to finish.

Common Design Choices on Hospital Whiteboards

According to nurses, the most valued design choices for a custom whiteboard are "goal for the day" and "anticipated discharge date." These two areas allow for nurses to communicate clearly the goals and progression of a patient during care. It also allows for patients to see their progress throughout treatment.

Some other areas that can be included on hospital whiteboards are pain scales, care team names and contact information.

Design a Custom Whiteboard in Multiple Languages

At VividBoard, we have worked with hundreds of clients to design and create custom whiteboards that help improve their patient care. The design options are near limitless. Hospital project managers can select from a traditional dry erase surface to a more modern glassboard, static content or boards with changeable inserts, and even the languages that are represented on the boards. If you work in a hospital that sees a lot of multilingual patients, our whiteboard designs can be an effective form of communication between your staff and their patients.

Want to see the quality of our whiteboards? Request a free sample today. Or, you can get started on your design right away by requesting a quote from our team.