How Meliva communicates smart and consistently across 37 healthcare centers

Smarter communication in healthcare

Meliva’s use of digital screens across 37 clinics has transformed how they communicate with patients and staff. With a clear visual identity and region-specific content, they’ve created a consistent and engaging experience in every waiting room.

What Meliva achieved:

• Same clear message at all clinics
• Stronger brand
• Information tailored to each clinic and type of care
• Easy to update content, both locally and centrally
• No more posters and paper notes on the walls

The waiting room – more than just a place to wait

When Meliva started growing quickly through acquisitions of health centers around the country, a challenge emerged: How do you create clear and recognizable communication when every location has its own way of working?
The answer was a smart structure, digital screens, and PLAYipp.

Today, PLAYipp screens can be found at Meliva’s 37 clinics in Stockholm, Uppsala, and Gothenburg. They display not just practical information like opening hours or how to book an appointment, but also content that builds Meliva’s brand and atmosphere.

“We mainly use PLAYipp in our waiting rooms. That’s where we meet patients and can show who we are in a professional and clear way,” says Linn Christiernin, Head of Communications at Meliva.

Thanks to the screens, clinics avoid paper signs on walls and instead communicate everything from booking instructions and new services to regional information.
At the same time, Meliva strengthens its identity by always using its own staff in images, sticking to its visual profile, and working with animations featuring the Moomins.

“We keep everything consistent, easy to read, and lively. It should feel like Meliva. That also makes it easier to reuse content between different clinics.”

The right message in the right place

Even though much content is shared between clinics, it is tailored to each region and type of care. What you see at a child health clinic doesn’t look the same as in a gynecologist’s waiting room. The goal is to keep communication relevant to whoever is watching.

“If you’re sitting at a child health center with your child, you want both information and something that keeps the child occupied. At other kinds of clinics, we tailor the content to that specific care.”

PLAYipp makes life easier for the communications team

Before using PLAYipp, Meliva had another digital signage system. That system only offered Finnish support, which meant the communications team had to take care of everything.

“We switched to PLAYipp to get Swedish support and to make it easier for more people internally to contribute. Now I’m not the only one who has to solve everything,” says Linn.

Real and relatable communication

An important part of Meliva’s communication is that it feels genuine. That also applies to the screens. When real staff are shown in images, with their actual names and roles, it builds recognition and trust among patients.

“We want to show our real employees, not models. It should feel like you recognize the people when you arrive at the clinic,” says Linn.

The team at Meliva is also exploring more interactive content like QR codes and motion graphics to create engagement even during the short time a patient spends in the waiting room.

Next step – more local content

Now Meliva is looking at letting more clinics update screens with local content. It could be something as simple as letting people know that free testing is available that week.

“We want to make it easy enough so it actually gets done. And to make sure content stays fresh and isn’t left over from last year.”

Linn’s top 3 tips for digital waiting room screens

1. Keep it short and sweet
Say what you want as briefly as possible so the text is easy to read and can be shown in large size.

2. Give each image more time than you think
There’s always someone who feels it goes too fast. Better slow than stressful.

3. Spread your message over multiple images
Instead of squeezing everything onto one screen, turn it into a slideshow. It also makes it more enjoyable to watch.

PLAYipp’s tips for healthcare organizations

1. Show the way
Many of our customers use screens to reduce stress in healthcare centers by helping patients find their way. Identify the most confusing spots in your facility and place a screen to guide people.

2. Remind patients about important dates
Display opening hours, walk-in times, and vaccination events. It saves questions at the reception.

3. QR codes make it easier
Link a QR code to booking systems, patient forms, or your website. Many patients are already on their phones, so it’s easy for them to take the next step right from the screen.