Introduction
Think of your hospital unit like an airport terminal. People (patients) are constantly arriving, departing, and transferring. Staff are managing traffic, prepping rooms, and coordinating services behind the scenes. Now imagine doing all of that without a flight status board.
That’s what many hospitals are still doing—managing dynamic units without real-time visibility. Interactive Unit Status Boards fix that. They’re like mission control for care teams, giving everyone a shared, live view of what’s happening across the floor.
What Is an Interactive Unit Status Board?
From Dry-Erase to Digital
In the past, hospitals used dry-erase boards to show room numbers, bed status, or care team assignments. Problem was—they were always out of date.
Today’s digital unit status boards are large-format touch displays or TV screens that pull live data from hospital systems and display everything from admissions to discharges, alerts, and more.
The Evolution of Care Coordination
Modern unit boards are not passive displays—they’re interactive, automated, and connected to EMR, nurse call, and RTLS systems, enabling smarter and safer care decisions.
Where Are These Boards Used?
Nurses' Stations
Mounted where care decisions happen, unit boards help teams plan, prioritize, and coordinate in real-time.
Charge Nurse Workflows
Charge nurses can manage patient assignments, flag needs, and coordinate discharges with just a glance.
Patient Tracking Across the Unit
Everyone—from EVS to case managers—can see room status, patient movement, and rounding schedules instantly.
Key Features of Interactive Unit Status Boards
Real-Time Room and Bed Status
Live data on whether rooms are clean, dirty, occupied, or vacant—no need for phone calls or hallway sprints.
Admission, Transfer, and Discharge Indicators
Color-coded indicators show pending admits, planned transfers, and discharge-ready patients to help plan the day.
Staff Assignments and Presence
Unit boards display who’s assigned to which room, and with RTLS, they can even show which caregiver is currently inside.
Alert and Precaution Visibility
Isolation, fall risk, and other alerts are pulled from the EMR and displayed clearly to all staff.
Patient-Centered Care Plans
Care goals, code status, or custom notes can appear next to each room, keeping everyone aligned on the care plan.
Benefits for Hospital Staff
1. Streamlined Communication
Live, Unified View of the Floor
Everyone sees the same info—charge nurse, transport, housekeeping—no more running back and forth to clarify.
Reduced Handoffs and Overhead Paging
Because everything is visible and live, the need for verbal updates and phone calls drops significantly.
2. Faster Decision-Making
Discharge and EVS Coordination
When a patient is discharged, the board updates automatically, triggering EVS alerts and expediting room turnover.
Nurse Assignment Visibility
At a glance, staff know who’s covering which room, improving teamwork and eliminating confusion during shift changes.
3. Improved Staff Collaboration
Cross-Departmental Clarity
No more guessing if radiology has picked up the patient or if dietary has delivered meals—it’s all on the board.
Rounding and Transport Efficiency
Transport teams can prioritize pickups, and providers can adjust rounds based on real-time patient movement.
Benefits for Operational Efficiency
Bed Turnover and Room Readiness
Live discharge tracking speeds up bed prep and shortens the time between patients, improving occupancy rates.
Patient Throughput Improvements
Unit boards help staff move patients through the system efficiently—reducing ED boarding and improving outcomes.
Data-Driven Staffing and Planning
Leadership can use data from the boards to monitor workload, spot trends, and plan staffing more accurately.
Integration Capabilities
EMR Syncing
Boards pull data directly from Epic, Cerner, Meditech, and others—no need for duplicate charting or manual entry.
Nurse Call and Smart Bed Status
See if a nurse call is active or if a patient is out of bed, all from the main display.
RTLS Staff Location Indicators
Know who was last in the room, who responded to the call, or who’s available nearby, improving accountability and care response times.
Customization and Layout Flexibility
Role-Based Views
Display relevant info for nursing, EVS, or transport depending on who’s logged in or which view is active.
Multi-Unit or Department Dashboards
Manage multiple floors or departments from a single board—great for ICU command centers or centralized staffing teams.
Visual Branding and Color Coding
Use your hospital's branding, colors, and terminology to keep it familiar and intuitive for staff.
Considerations for Implementation
Location and Mounting Options
Boards can be wall-mounted, on mobile carts, or installed in staff-only areas. Choose what works for your space and workflows.
Screen Size and Interaction Style
Go big with 55"+ touch displays or opt for passive read-only TVs. You decide what works best for your unit.
Power and Network Requirements
Most systems run on Power-over-Ethernet or standard wall power and require secure access to hospital networks.
The Future of Unit Status Boards
AI-Powered Workflow Suggestions
AI will soon suggest rounding priorities, discharge prep, or room assignments based on staffing and patient acuity.
Predictive Discharge and Resource Allocation
Unit boards will evolve into command centers, helping predict discharges, flag bottlenecks, and optimize resource allocation in real time.
Conclusion
If digital whiteboards are the bedside brain, interactive unit status boards are the hospital’s central nervous system. They give your team the real-time awareness and coordination tools they need to deliver faster, safer, and smarter care.
By upgrading from whiteboards and wall charts to fully integrated unit dashboards, hospitals can dramatically improve communication, efficiency, and throughput.
FAQs
1. Are these boards touch-enabled?
Yes. Many models offer full touchscreen capabilities, while others are passive, read-only displays. You can choose based on workflow needs.
2. Can they display multiple units at once?
Absolutely. HCI’s unit boards can toggle between units or show a split-screen of multiple departments.
3. What systems do they integrate with?
Unit status boards integrate with EMR systems, nurse call, smart beds, RTLS, and EVS workflows.
4. Are they HIPAA-compliant?
Yes. Role-based views, password protection, and smart filters ensure that only appropriate information is displayed.
5. How do I justify the investment?
Time savings, better bed turnover, higher patient throughput, and improved HCAHPS scores make these boards one of the highest ROI upgrades you can implement.
Next Steps with HCI
Ready to modernize your hospital unit with real-time visibility and smarter care coordination? HCI offers fully integrated, hardware-agnostic Interactive Unit Status Boards that sync with your existing systems. Whether you're managing one department or centralizing operations across multiple sites, we’ll help you implement a solution that scales.
Contact HCI today to schedule a free demo or workflow assessment.
