Long, long ago, or so it seems now, whenever we would go to an appointment in a doctor's office or hospital, we would sit in the waiting room for a while, waiting. And during that time, unless we had brought along something of our own to read or do, we would pick up and read a magazine or two, usually provided on a table there in front of us.
(Okay, let's hear all the jokes about
how old those magazines were!)
But then technology came along, and all those outdated magazines were largely replaced by TV sets in those waiting areas.
We enter a waiting room nowadays, take a seat, and what do we immediately see? A TV set, usually elevated a bit above the floor, blaring away, as we and fellow patients already seated in the area watch it, with varying degrees of interest.
First, why is the TV set so often elevated, usually on a stand several feet above the floor? Well, a little reading indicates some reasons for this: first, having it elevated makes it possible for more people seated in the area to view it; then, security, both to keep it from being removed, and to protect it from things like hospital carts bumping into it; and then to keep people from trying to change the channel or turn it off.
So when did we start to see TVs in waiting rooms? Research tells us that they came in about
when cable/satellite TV got started.
The article linked below says of itself
"Our articles focus on TV solutions for waiting rooms, lobbies, displays and employee break rooms for medical, automotive, restaurants, retail, public and private companies."and then starts out
" ... The most effective waiting room TV software both entertains patients and educates them on health topics. Medical offices use televisions to entertain patients as they wait for treatment ... "It then goes on to say:
"We’ve outlined 3 of the most used options (for TV use in waiting rooms)" which are then presented:
1. "It's Relevant" TV
(Entertainment plus medical videos)
This is described as programming which is a
" ... balance between entertaining your patients and informing them about your practice."That is, it's entertainment programming along with features about
the doctor's (hospital's) practice.
2. "Medical Information" TV
(Medical videos)
The significant statement in the article about
this kind of programming is:
"Medical Info TV has your medical industry focus in mind, but can often upset your patients instead of healing them. Many doctors falsely assume that patients want to see medical information while they wait to be treated. In fact, our focus groups have shown the exact opposite! Patients often come into a waiting room somewhat nervous, and seeing medical information can add to their anxiety instead of reducing it."
"Medical Info TV providers often provide the practice with a way to promote itself or its brand. This is a nice feature, but many patients won’t be watching long enough to take in the information. Without some interesting (entertainment) content on the screen to draw them in ... (they won't watch)" Of particular interest:
"(This type of programming is usually funded) ... by large pharmaceutical companies ... (and) ... the majority of patients that saw drug ads on the waiting room TV assumed the drugs were endorsed by the doctor/practice when that wasn’t always the case. This helps to generate enormous revenues for both the pharmaceutical companies and the Medical TV providers." 3. Cable TV
(Entertainment)
"Cable TV is still one of the most used TV services in medical environments." But not every cable channel offering will appeal to everyone in the waiting area, the article says, so there is an inefficiency here.
Also,
" ... cable offers no way for you (the doctor) to promote yourself." and
"Cable TV is becoming increasingly expensive."The article then closes with
"Hospitals, urgent care centers, medical offices, and dentists put TVs in their waiting rooms in hopes of creating a better environment for their patients. While television is not the primary focus of your practice, it can really shape the attitudes of your patients. From the moment patients walk in, until the time they leave; they are judging your office." And what the TV in the waiting room is showing may impact that judgment.
Also, searching
waiting room tv cost
turns up a number of websites for businesses offering to install waiting room tv systems, for a fee of course, and they are usually offering it in the form of one of the three models discussed above.
A typical
opening sales line, taken from one of these sites:
"(Name) is a user-friendly, high-tech entertainment and marketing system for waiting rooms that empowers ... (your) practice to customize and stream content that will educate, entertain, and promote your services to patients, on the TV located in your reception area."(BTW, A lot of these sites were hawking their products by using ad videos to promote them, which, in view of what we're talking about
, seemed especially appropriate).
A little site comparison also showed an approximate cost range of around $ 85/month to equip a small one-doctor office, to about
$1700/month for " ... hospitals and healthcare systems."
Also, searching
waiting room tv site:www.youtube.com
pulls up, for your viewing interest, a number of video ad pitches for companies selling waiting room TV services.
Providing TVs and what they show appears to be a thriving business, and it looks like the companies that offer it can and do tailor it to suit what the doctor or hospital specifically wants its waiting room audience to see.
Maybe something to ponder the next time we find ourselves in a medical waiting room, staring up at the TV.
http://articles.itsrelevant.com/2017/10/26/top-3-waiting-room-tv-services-for-medical-offices/#:~:text=%20top%203%20waiting%20room%20tv%20services%20for,most%20used%20tv%20services%20in%20medical...%20more%20