Medical Research Reveals the Benefits of Patient Whiteboards

Mar 18, 2019

glass hospital whiteboards

Is there a lot of medical research pertaining to patient room whiteboards? Does placing a whiteboard in a patient room make a difference in their health and the satisfaction with their care? These are both great questions. Every device placed within a medical facility needs to prove its worth either to patients or providers, and custom whiteboards do both.

Many hours of research have been devoted to studying the effectiveness of hospital whiteboards, further adding to their reputation as useful communication tools. What does the research say? Here are a few studies that have been conducted over the years. 

Patient whiteboards to improve patient-centered care in the hospital 

This three-week pilot study examined the use of hospital whiteboards with 104 general medicine patients at Stanford University Medical Center. The study consisted of surveys given to patients and care providers. The results of these surveys found that, through the use of patient room boards, more patients knew who their physician was, their goals of their care, and their estimated discharge date. Patients were also more satisfied with their overall hospital stay. 

The surveys also revealed that physicians, ancillary staff and even patient families found the whiteboards to be helpful, making residents more likely to integrate them into their daily workflow. 

Read the full summary 

The Writing on the Wall: Whiteboards Improve Inpatient Satisfaction With Provider Communication 

In this study, researchers placed whiteboards in every patient room in a facility and asked nurses and physicians to use them in an attempt to improve communication with patients. The authors of the study compared the satisfaction of patients who had whiteboards in their rooms to those who were discharged before the whiteboards were installed. The results of the study found that patient satisfaction scores on HCAHPS, in terms of communication with nurses and physicians, improved significantly. Patients also reported higher satisfaction scores in terms of their involvement in decision-making for their healthcare. 

Read the full study 

Improved Patient Communication with Systematic Whiteboard Use

The Beryl Institute released a case study about Rush University Medical Center's use of hospital whiteboards in their facility. The case study outlined the participation in focus groups and feedback sessions that asked questions about the utility of whiteboard use and how to improve it. The case study reported that, after the implementation and use of whiteboards, patients, HCAHPS and Press Ganey scores increased across the board, with notable increases in the satisfaction with their doctor's explanation of treatment. 

Read the full case study

Whiteboard use in labor and delivery improves patients' knowledge of their delivery physician and satisfaction with their care

A research team studied the effects of dry erase boards in a labor and delivery setting via a questionnaire distributed to 191 patients before and after whiteboard implementation. After one to three days post-partum, there were significant increases in the number of patients who reported knowing their physician's name and understanding the details of their care. Patient satisfaction with their care was also significantly higher after implementation. 

Read the full summary

The science behind the effectiveness of whiteboards is clear. Learn how whiteboard design can make an even larger difference in patient care by contacting VividBoard today.