How interactive displays are transforming healthcare and hospitals around the globe

The healthcare landscape is undergoing a dramatic transformation with technology leading the charge. While electronic health records and telemedicine have already made significant inroads, interactive displays are emerging as important developments helping medical facilities operate and deliver care. These powerful tools build bridges between traditional healthcare approaches and the expectations of today’s patients.

What makes interactive displays particularly valuable is their versatility in addressing multiple healthcare challenges simultaneously. These systems deliver tangible benefits across the entire healthcare ecosystem from enhancing patient understanding of complex medical conditions to simplifying administrative workflows. For administrators and IT decision-makers, interactive displays offer a compelling solution that improves both patient satisfaction and operational efficiency with measurable returns.

How interactive displays are used in healthcare

Interactive displays in healthcare settings enable direct engagement with content through touch, gesture, or other input methods. These solutions can be integrated in many ways including touchscreens mounted in patient rooms, self-service kiosks in lobbies, digital wayfinding displays in corridors, and collaborative screens in staff areas.

The key distinction between interactive displays and conventional screens is the two-way communication they facilitate. Rather than passively consuming information, users actively engage with content on the display. For example, a patient can tap through educational modules about their condition or a healthcare team can collaborate on treatment plans in real time. This interactivity transforms how information flows throughout a healthcare facility.

Interactive displays also address fundamental challenges faced by medical facilities. They improve information accessibility, simplify time-consuming processes, accommodate diverse patient populations, and support continuous staff education, all through a single technological investment.

Benefits of interactive displays

Enhanced patient education

Interactive displays revolutionize patient education by transforming it from passive information delivery into active learning experiences. Traditional methods like printed handouts, verbal explanations, or wall posters are often ineffective in communicating complex concepts. Interactive displays address this challenge by helping healthcare professionals present information in easy to understand ways such as visually illustrating diagnoses and treatment options. For example, a cardiologist can show a patient exactly how a stent works using an interactive model rather than relying solely on verbal explanation, significantly improving patient comprehension and confidence in treatment decisions.

Perhaps most importantly, interactive displays allow for self-paced, personalized education. Patients can select content relevant to their specific conditions, choose their preferred language, adjust text size for better visibility, or replay explanations as needed. This customization helps patients access education regardless of their learning style, language proficiency, or health literacy level, leading to better-informed patients who are more likely to adhere to treatment plans.

Improved communication

Interactive displays function as powerful communication hubs in healthcare environments, addressing the ongoing challenge of information sharing between patients, providers, and staff. 

Important updates, from emergency notifications to department status changes, can be instantly distributed across all connected displays. In waiting areas, patients can see accurate estimates of wait times and procedure durations, reducing uncertainty and anxiety. For staff, interactive displays facilitate smooth coordination between departments and minimize information gaps, helping critical patient information travel with the patient throughout their healthcare journey.

Streamlined operations

Interactive displays help healthcare facilities boost operational efficiencies through automation of routine processes and optimization of patient flow. Self-service check-in kiosks allow patients to verify insurance information, complete intake forms, and update personal details without staff assistance, eliminating registration bottlenecks. Not only does this reduce administrative workload, it also minimizes data entry errors and frees staff to focus on more complex patient needs.

Navigation challenges in sprawling medical facilities contribute significantly to missed appointments and patient frustration. Interactive wayfinding displays resolve this problem by providing step-by-step directions tailored to each patient’ including integration with appointment scheduling software that auto-generates the most efficient route to a patient’s next destination.

Staff training and collaboration

Interactive displays transform professional development and teamwork in healthcare settings by creating dynamic learning and collaboration environments. Unlike traditional training methods that often rely on passive observation, these systems enable hands-on engagement with educational content. Medical staff can practice new procedures through interactive simulations, explore anatomical models from multiple perspectives, or test their knowledge through scenario-based challenges in a risk-free digital environment before applying skills in patient care.

The collaborative capabilities of these displays are equally valuable for interdisciplinary teamwork. During case conferences or treatment planning sessions, multiple specialists can simultaneously interact with the same display, annotating medical images, highlighting areas of concern, and developing comprehensive care strategies together. This shared visual workspace breaks down communication barriers between departments and ensures that all perspectives are incorporated into care decisions.

Reduced patient anxiety

Healthcare environments inevitably generate anxiety for many patients, but interactive displays can significantly improve the psychological experience through thoughtfully designed content and engagement opportunities. In waiting areas, displays offering calming content, educational materials, or even simple diversions help redirect attention away from thoughts about upcoming procedures or potential diagnoses.

Beyond mere distraction, interactive displays empower patients through information access and environmental control. Patients can learn about their condition at their own pace, virtually tour a procedure room before surgery, or find answers to common questions without waiting for a provider, which provides a sense of agency in their healthcare journey. This increased feeling of control can reduce anxiety levels and improve overall patient experience.

Key components of interactive displays

The effectiveness of interactive displays in healthcare settings depends on several critical features. 

Touchscreen technology

Intuitive touchscreen technology makes digital interaction accessible to users across all technical ability levels. Effective healthcare touchscreens prioritize simplicity and clarity, featuring large, well-defined interface elements and straightforward navigation paths. This user-friendly design is essential in healthcare environments where patients may be experiencing stress, physical discomfort, or unfamiliarity with technology.

Healthcare settings present unique usability challenges that quality touchscreen systems must address. Displays need to accommodate patients with mobility limitations including patients with reduced dexterity or vision, and clinical staff wearing gloves. The technology must strike a balance, being sensitive enough to register gentle touches from weakened patients while remaining durable enough for constant use in high-traffic areas. Advanced systems incorporate accessibility features like adjustable height mounts, voice control options, and high-contrast modes that help the technology serve all users effectively, regardless of their physical capabilities or tech expertise.

Integration with healthcare systems

Perhaps the most critical aspect of successful interactive display implementation is smooth integration with Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and other existing healthcare systems. Standalone displays that can’t communicate with core clinical and administrative systems create information silos and often require duplicate data entry, negating many of their potential benefits. Properly integrated displays pull relevant patient information from EHRs to personalize educational content, update records in real-time, and help maintain information consistency across all touchpoints.

The value of smooth integration in healthcare environments directly impacts patient care. When interactive displays connect with the facility’s broader tech ecosystem, including labs, pharmacy databases, and scheduling platforms, they create unified workflows that reduce errors and save time. For example, when a patient checks in via an interactive kiosk, the action should automatically update their status in the EHR, notify relevant departments of their arrival, and trigger preparation of necessary resources, all without manual intervention. This level of integration transforms interactive displays from tech islands into integral components of a cohesive healthcare delivery system.

Customizable content

The ability to tailor display content and functionality for specific departments, patient populations, or clinical scenarios significantly enhances the value of interactive systems in diverse healthcare settings. Different areas within a facility have distinct information needs—pediatric spaces might feature age-appropriate educational games and colorful interfaces, while oncology departments might prioritize treatment information and support resources. Customizable content helps each display serve its intended purpose effectively.

Content customization extends beyond visual design to encompass functionality and information architecture. Emergency departments might configure displays to emphasize triage and wait time updates, while rehab centers can focus on exercise demonstrations and progress tracking tools. This flexibility allows healthcare facilities to deploy standardized hardware across departments while customizing the user experience. Robust content management platforms enable IT staff to update information, add new features, or modify interfaces as requirements evolve, helping the technology remain relevant and valuable.

How to implement interactive displays in healthcare

Successfully deploying interactive displays requires thoughtful planning and systematic execution. The process involves multiple phases, from initial assessment through ongoing optimization, each critical to achieving desired outcomes. 

Assess facility needs

The foundation of successful interactive display implementation begins with a comprehensive evaluation of where these solutions can add the most value within a specific healthcare environment. Start by identifying existing pain points—are patients consistently getting lost? Do staff spend excessive time on routine admin tasks? Are patients struggling to understand discharge instructions? Map these challenges to potential interactive display solutions that will deliver the most immediate and significant benefits.

Different departments require tailored approaches. Emergency departments might benefit most from self-service triage kiosks and real-time wait updates, while outpatient clinics could prioritize appointment management systems. Patient rooms may need educational displays that integrate with EHRs, while staff areas require collaborative displays for case reviews and training. Assessments should also consider patient demographics, tech proficiency of staff, physical space constraints, and existing IT infrastructure to ensure proposed solutions align with unique characteristics and requirements of a facility.

Choose the right technology

When evaluating technology options, consider immediate needs and future scalability. The chosen platform should accommodate growth, support emerging technologies, and integrate with planned system upgrades to protect your investment. Software selection is equally critical as content management systems must be easy for clinical staff to use while robust enough to handle complex healthcare workflows and security requirements. 

Train staff

Implementing best practices for staff onboarding is crucial for successful integration. Training programs should be role-specific, focusing on how each staff member will interact with the displays in their daily workflow. Hands-on, scenario-based training sessions are far more effective than theoretical instruction, allowing staff to practice with the actual systems they’ll use.

Training should address not just the technical aspects of operating the displays but also how to incorporate them into existing workflows. Establishing ongoing support resources and scheduling refresher sessions helps staff maintain proficiency as systems evolve. Creating internal champions who can provide peer support and demonstrate the technology’s benefits significantly improves adoption rates across departments.

Monitor and optimize

Tracking performance requires establishing clear metrics aligned with your original objectives. Healthcare facilities should monitor both technical metrics like system uptime, response times, and error rates and outcome metrics like patient satisfaction scores, wait times, and staff efficiency measures. Regular analysis of usage reveals which features patients and staff find most valuable and which might need refinement or additional training support.

Implementation not as a one-time project but is an ongoing process of refinement and optimization that evolves with your facility’s needs and technological capabilities. Establish a regular review cycle to assess whether displays are meeting intended goals and identify opportunities for enhancement. 

How Promethean can help

Interactive displays can be transformative for healthcare facilities seeking to enhance patient care and improve operational efficiency. From enabling better patient education to simplifying administrative processes and facilitating staff collaboration, these systems address multiple critical challenges facing healthcare providers. 

Ready to explore how interactive displays can transform your healthcare facility? Schedule a demo and learn how our experts can assess your requirements, identify the right solutions, and develop an implementation strategy that delivers measurable results.