Dental Startup Tips: How to Set Up the Best Patient Entertainment Experience

What's the best patient entertainment setup?

When selecting ceiling-mounted patient entertainment systems at the offices we design and build, I was searching for modern options but also for something straight forward enough so there wasn't much fuss on the staff side.

Setup 1: Ceiling TV - Entertainment Only

A low latency Bluetooth audio transmitter (see HERE) - Low latency is important because it is an issue when the TV doesn't match the audio in headphones. The transmitter is installed behind the ceiling-mounted TV and uses the TV's USB port for its power source and the optical audio out for audio transmission. Nice and clean.

Noise-Cancelling Headphones (see HERE) - Simple design and functionality. You don't need to go crazy on these headphones and get a Bose unit, however you'll want something that was inexpensive to replace in case of drops, accidents, or if they grew legs.

Headphone Disposable covers (see HERE) - Economically, this works out to be around $0.25 per pair. This setup takes less than 30 seconds to pair and our assistants rarely have to touch more than one button (power button) once properly set up. Check out the Youtube Guide here.

Ceiling TV (see HERE) - Choose the 32" TCL Roku TVs. This has the Roku Smart features built directly into the TV and has a very thin bezel. Can't beat the price at $129.

Setup 2: 6'Clock Mirrored to Ceiling TV

Media Player (see HERE) - We recommend either the Roku Stick or Roku Ultra. You'll need a centralized player like this to control 2 TVs with one source of audio/video.

HDMI Duplication Package (Consult your IT) - Reference the diagram. The Green line is a 35ft HDMI, and the Red is a 25ft HDMI. We recommend you run these cables when you are doing your low voltage/cat6/sound cabling. The Roku/Media Player and HDMI 2-1 Duplicator will live behind the 6'clock TV. This mirror setup will allow you to sit a patient down, and allow them to start watching on the 6'clock. Then when treatment starts and the patient is reclined, they can seamlessly pick up on the ceiling TV.

Common Issues

• Reconnection Expectations: Expect to re-pair once per year.
• Charging considerations: Remember the headphones are battery powered, so make sure your employee manual includes an end of day checklist to address this.

Pro Tip

• Set the ceiling-mounted TV to play subtitles regardless of whether or not the patient wants headphones. The patients that choose not to have headphones will appreciate it, and it's a great distraction as well.

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