What are the benefits of ePaper signage over traditional digital signage solutions? Why does digital paper offer such an advantage to medical teams and clinicians? Let's take a look.
Reduced Power Usage
One of the primary benefits of digital paper signage solutions over LED and LCD screens is the reduced level of power consumption. While LED and LCD screens can be run with reasonable efficiency, digital paper requires less energy to operate. The Public Display Solution from Avalue is a good example of how hardware with lower power requirements can still achieve effective information delivery.
Even small savings can make a big difference, especially when many devices are deployed across a large-scale healthcare facility. This is important for two main reasons:
• Healthcare facilities can manage their budgets better. Energy usage is a major concern for healthcare facilities as they seek to balance their budgets. By achieving energy savings through deployed devices, healthcare facilities can operate with better cost-efficiency.
• Operations become more ecologically sustainable. Environmental sustainability is a key priority right across the world. In the healthcare industry, however, facilities must reduce their carbon footprint without compromising on patient care. Highly effective and efficient technology like digital paper is helping to make this happen.
Simplified Writing and Recording
Writing on an LCD or LED tablet can be difficult. The interaction between the stylus and the screen does not mimic that of a pen and paper, so the experience is unnatural. This is a problem because it leads to fatigue over longer periods of time and may also make it hard to record data in a legible and easily accessible way.
Digital paper signage solutions are designed to avoid this issue. Writing on a digital paper device, like the eNote, is intended to imitate the feel of using a simple pen and paper. This means medical professionals are able to remain focused on their work without experiencing premature fatigue, and datasets become more accurate and less vulnerable to corruption.
Easier Consumption of Data and Information
Tablets and screens are multi-functional devices. Professionals can record information on them, while patients and other users can read and receive information from the screen when required. Problems begin to arise when we consider the patient's condition – not all patients find it easy to view and consume information from a traditional LED or LCD screen. It is possible to zoom in and make information larger, but this can lead to issues with formatting and may distort important images, charts, and graphs.
Digital paper solutions are specifically designed for this purpose, making zooming and enlargement easy and straightforward. At the same time, the images and datasets retain their original format, position, and resolution. As a result, patients can have more confidence in their treatment, as they find it easier to understand the information they receive. This reduces patient anxiety and confusion, which can be significant issues for patients with psychological, emotional, or age-related conditions.
Contrast and lighting adjustments also make it possible to view information in less-than-ideal environments. Our Outdoor Display Solution ensures patients can quickly receive and respond to information and then provide their signature via more traditional digital signage solutions.
Improved Portability
Anyone who has ever used a smartphone or a personal tablet is well aware of how much these devices have evolved over the last few years. Even powerful computing devices are now highly lightweight and so are easy to carry in the user's pocket or in a small bag. This is certainly true for LCD and LED screen devices like the ENT-13T1 – they are highly portable and user-friendly.
However, in a busy healthcare environment, the need for portability becomes even more acute. Medical professionals may need to move quickly from one location to another, often many times over the course of a working day. Just a few grams can make all the difference, which is why the healthcare industry needs access to the most lightweight solutions available on the market. The nature of digital paper means hardware like the ENT-13T1 is even lighter and more portable than LED and LCD devices. This is only a small weight saving, but it has a big impact on the experience of the user.
More Efficient Integration with IoT and Smart Networks
Digital signage solutions are not designed to be standalone devices. They must integrate with a broader network, including receiving data directly from Internet of Things (IoT) devices. To achieve this, devices must be able to reflect data changes on the network in real time while simultaneously updating the network when new inputs are received – this requires significant processing power.
High processing power LED and LCD solutions certainly exist, but digital paper signage solutions are better equipped for this purpose. Because of their lower power consumption, highly efficient display, and simplified interface, digital paper signage solutions can support high-performance computing components without compromising on portability or ease of use.