Patient rooms have many facets. Everything from medical devices to furniture, overall design and layout and even color play into the perception patients have of the care they receive. Just like anything else in a patient room, the communication boards should integrate effectively with everything around them and play an integral role in patient care. 

Looking to effectively integrate your whiteboards into your patient treatment and room design? Remember these three key elements to success.

#1 Placement Matters

Evidence-based practices have fundamentally transformed the way designers and architects approach the design of patient rooms, and new studies are shedding light on the impact these changes can have on everything from HCAHPS scores to patient anxiety, compliance and infection control.

The evidence has shown that the overall layout of a room including furniture placement, room shape and the placement of informational material and displays like whiteboards can improve patient moods and psychological states as well as decrease stress.

The placement of hospital dry erase boards is crucial to complementing the effective design of a room. Whiteboards are most effective when they are placed within view of patient beds and at a distance where the information is easily read (best practices dictate that readability decreases when boards are placed more than 10 feet away). The closer they are place to a patient's bedside the more effective they will be because nurses will be able to interact with patients as they write and refer to information on the board.

#2 Place Whiteboards That Are Intuitive and Facilitate Communication

Integrating whiteboards into everyday treatment helps to establish communication and trust between care teams and patients. This is something that every hospital seeks to accomplish, and designers can help facilitate this process by placing communication boards that are intuitive and easy for care teams to incorporate into their treatment plans. This integration becomes second nature for nurses when whiteboards are designed based on patient and caregiver needs.

By understanding what hospitals need from their whiteboards and how they can use them to help foster communication with patients, designers can work with a whiteboard provider to build boards that allow nurses and other staff to seamlessly use them during treatment.

#3 Focus on Quality and the Details

When it comes to the overall room aesthetic, color scheme, hospital brand, etc. hospital whiteboards shouldn't be the one piece in the room that feels out of place. While it's best for them to stand out (in a good way) so that the information can be easily digested, they should also fit into a room's design flawlessly.

When thinking about the design and color choices you make with your whiteboards, consider the overall look and feel of the room and make design choices that allow the board to integrate seamlessly with everything around it. If patient rooms have a modern look, choose modern glass whiteboards that match the aesthetic. Working with a minimalist design? Choose a low profile board that fits in.

Finally, the whiteboards you choose should match the quality of everything else in your patient setting. If you've invested in high-quality furniture and equipment, don't skip out on quality when it comes to your dry erase boards. They are an integral part of your hospital's setting and your patient treatment plan. To see the difference quality makes in a whiteboard, request a sample from VividBoard today.