TVs with patronising informertials in doctors waiting rooms

olias
olias Posts: 3,588 Forumite
edited 19 February 2013 at 8:11PM in Praise, vent & warnings
Have just had the pleasure of a visit to my GP where the waiting room has two giant flat screen TVs playing a continuous loop of informertials (usually narrated by the extremely annoying Julie Peasgood) at full volume, patronisingly telling me to 'brush my teeth twice a day', eat my 5 a day', 'try and do some excercise like walking to the shop at least once a day' etc, etc, etc.

Well thankyou very much, I don't know how I got through 45 years of healthy life without those wise words...............But I do know that I now have a headache that I didn't have before.

I have tried in the past asking the receptionist to turn the volume down, but was told that they couldn't alter them, as they are on a pre set volume by the suppliers (?)

The one in my local hospital waiting room is even worse - it just plays a continuous loop of upside down skydivers with ribons trailing from their feet to the background of a really annoying piece of muzak...Aaaaaaaaaaaagh. I'm sure that was well worth the several thousand pounds it must have cost to install! :mad:

Olias
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  • pmduk
    pmduk Posts: 10,655
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    They took them out of my GP's within a few weeks. What's worse are the patientline* bedside tvs, which can't be switched off. Seeing Andrew Lansley's smug grin every few minutes did nothing for my blood pressure.

    *Pretty certain they're now called something else, hospedia perhaps?

    I only hope it's the operators covering the energy costs, not the hospital.
  • gregg1
    gregg1 Posts: 3,148
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    edited 19 February 2013 at 9:16PM
    olias wrote: »
    Have just had the pleasure of a visit to my GP where the waiting room has two giant flat screen TVs playing a continuous loop of informertials (usually narrated by the extremely annoying Julie Peasgood) at full volume, patronisingly telling me to 'brush my teeth twice a day', eat my 5 a day', 'try and do some excercise like walking to the shop at least once a day' etc, etc, etc.

    Well thankyou very much, I don't know how I got through 45 years of healthy life without those wise words...............But I do know that I now have a headache that I didn't have before.

    I have tried in the past asking the receptionist to turn the volume down, but was told that they couldn't alter them, as they are on a pre set volume by the suppliers (?)

    The one in my local hospital waiting room is even worse - it just plays a continuous loop of upside down skydivers with ribons trailing from their feet to the background of a really annoying piece of muzak...Aaaaaaaaaaaagh. I'm sure that was well worth the several thousand pounds it must have cost to install! :mad:

    Olias

    This drives me nuts in our doctors. We get the TV AND crappy muzak played at a volume almost guaranteed to leave you with earache even if you did not have it when you went in. Who in God's name, when they are feeling ill, wants to listen to loud music in the doctors?

    What is wrong with people thinking there is something unacceptable about peace and quiet. Why do we have to have music forced on us everywhere we go these days?
  • pmduk
    pmduk Posts: 10,655
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    Perhaps they think we won't notice how late they're always running?
  • MamaMoo_2
    MamaMoo_2 Posts: 2,644 Forumite
    My old doctor's used to play nothing but panpipe versions of cack pop songs. It's like they thought that the patient list was getting a bit too full, and were trying to make people run into the main road screaming "Please, run me over, quick, before I hear the panpipe version of 'Eternal Flame' again!"
  • Sharon87
    Sharon87 Posts: 4,011
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    pmduk wrote: »
    Perhaps they think we won't notice how late they're always running?

    I think it'll have the opposite effect. Annoying music/ads mean people are less patient (excuse the pun) and will count every second that the doctors are running late! I know I would!
  • Fire_Fox
    Fire_Fox Posts: 26,026
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    olias wrote: »
    Have just had the pleasure of a visit to my GP where the waiting room has two giant flat screen TVs playing a continuous loop of informertials (usually narrated by the extremely annoying Julie Peasgood) at full volume, patronisingly telling me to 'brush my teeth twice a day', eat my 5 a day', 'try and do some excercise like walking to the shop at least once a day' etc, etc, etc.

    Well thankyou very much, I don't know how I got through 45 years of healthy life without those wise words...............But I do know that I now have a headache that I didn't have before.

    I have tried in the past asking the receptionist to turn the volume down, but was told that they couldn't alter them, as they are on a pre set volume by the suppliers (?)

    The one in my local hospital waiting room is even worse - it just plays a continuous loop of upside down skydivers with ribons trailing from their feet to the background of a really annoying piece of muzak...Aaaaaaaaaaaagh. I'm sure that was well worth the several thousand pounds it must have cost to install! :mad:

    Olias

    1. Patients using the surgery most often have not averaged 45 healthy years to date or are not predicted 45 healthy years in the future
    2. The British public don't even meet the basic (minimum/ maximum not optimal) health eating guidelines. Three servings of fruit and veg a day, a third of serving of oily fish a week and 5,000 steps a day, anyone?
    3. The British public don't know what the healthy living guidelines are (personal experience, I work in lifestyle healthcare)
    4. Not being diagnosed with a health complaint =/= being healthy.

    It would annoy me to the point of hypertension too, but that doesn't make it unnecessary or useless or pointless. This country will not be able to fund the NHS for much longer if we continue as we are. :(
    Declutterbug-in-progress.⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
  • paddyrg
    paddyrg Posts: 13,543 Forumite
    Change doctors if it's a real issue - each practice makes their own decisions, mine has nice bright windows over a view, lightwood reception and high ceilings, doctor comes and calls you in by name in person, no TV etc. Very civilised.
  • dibuzz
    dibuzz Posts: 2,021
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    There is one in our doctor's waiting room and quite often you can't hear who is being called in.
    I get more annoyed at the kids running round screaming whilst their parents are texting or speaking loudly into their phone.
    Whatever happened to being quiet in a doctor's waiting room? I always took books, small toys and snacks to keep mine amused but these days it seems the norm to just let them run riot.
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  • pmduk
    pmduk Posts: 10,655
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    Fire_Fox wrote: »
    1. Patients using the surgery most often have not averaged 45 healthy years to date or are not predicted 45 healthy years in the future
    2. The British public don't even meet the basic (minimum/ maximum not optimal) health eating guidelines. Three servings of fruit and veg a day, a third of serving of oily fish a week and 5,000 steps a day, anyone?
    3. The British public don't know what the healthy living guidelines are (personal experience, I work in lifestyle healthcare)
    4. Not being diagnosed with a health complaint =/= being healthy.

    It would annoy me to the point of hypertension too, but that doesn't make it unnecessary or useless or pointless. This country will not be able to fund the NHS for much longer if we continue as we are. :(

    And pumping these details out in the waiting room will help how? Do you really think any of it sinks in? Those people who are interested will have already researched the subject.

    These systems are installed as there's usually an element of advertising space to be sold. Actually, they're usually installed at little/no cost to the practice.
  • VfM4meplse
    VfM4meplse Posts: 34,269
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    Fire Fox is right. The greatest users of GP services are the young, elderly and women; those in the lower social classes / considered to be economically deprived even more so and end up not only with the highest burden of disease, but are more likely to die of it too.
    pmduk wrote: »
    And pumping these details out in the waiting room will help how? Do you really think any of it sinks in? Those people who are interested will have already researched the subject.
    Believe it or not, there are people who don't actually know this. Publicising basic public health messages can have a positive impact on these groups and prevent future ill health, it's not aimed at the middle classes that frequent this forum.

    The repetetive element helps the message sink in - just like the most annoying pop song you can't get out of your head.

    Give the GP surgery some slack but putting yourself in their position; consider how disheartening it is to see people present with conditions that are entirely avoidable if people knew how to look after themselves properly and were motivated enough to do something about it. Think about it the next time you can't get to see your own GP - it's because your access is blocked by exactly this group of people.
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