Sadly, I don’t have a catchy punchline.
According to the Telegraph:
Offering patients free wi-fi in accident and emergency waiting rooms would cut the number of aggressive and violent incidents, say designers.
Other ideas from PearsonLloyd, the London design studio that led the winning pitch, include avoiding placing seats facing each other, “to prevent confrontational situations that could lead to violence or aggression”; and installing digital screens advising patients how busy the department is.
The screens and seats facing eat other is obvious. It’s the provision of information, reducing the frustration in individuals who are probably injured, worried and wanting to be anywhere but there.
The WiFi is a curious one. Are we talking about hospitals here? Where the slightest electromagnetic signal from a patient mobile phone is forbidden?
I’m usually one for “unwiring” and getting wireless data in everywhere. But seriously, the costs of this will be low but do we think the neanderthals who cause trouble in A&E will be more concerned about WiFi than causing trouble?