Hit the Jackpot -- Again

It seems like I've hit the jackpot, again, regarding signs and signage in the medical profession. This time, I have the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) to thank.

AMWA runs four different e-mail discussion lists for members. A couple of days ago I posted an open question on the editing-writing list regarding signs and signage in the medical profession, with an emphasis on digital signs. I received three very interesting replies from members in Texas and Maryland.

The Texas members offered that signs in hospitals often have errors, especially signs that carry bilingual messages. The member from Maryland gave me a wide variety of information in the form of URLs from a Google search. The one that struck me most linked to a Web page at the renowned Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). That page described some of the educational and therapeutic content that is developed by a third party for display on digital TV screens in children's rooms, to keep them entertained while they heal. I couldn't help but wonder if some of the games and activities my wife develops, as a children's grief therapist, could be developed and extended in this manner.

Another idea that occurred to me while reading the posts from the AMWA members in Texas would be to undertake a survey project of some sort, asking local AMWA members to keep their eyes open for errors on medical signs they encounter in their normal daily travels. Then, the members could send those errors to me, and I would bring them to the attention of the sign-making authorities.

Then the creative possibilities began to fire in my brain, even though I'm fighting a cold this morning. I could find a project partner, perhaps another local AMWA member. We could set up a contest. Each time someone contributed an error, their name would be entered in a drawing. At the end of the designated time period, names would be drawn from a hat, and a valuable prize awarded to the lucky winner. The more errors a person contributed, the greater their chances of winning. Maybe we use a blog to host the contest.

I'm starting to get excited. This would help improve the quality of medical communication in our community, and it would also help me do my job developing fresh sales leads as director of business development for a local sign franchise. It would help me get to know other medical writers in this region. And, it would be fun!!

Wow! The possibilities! Thank you, AMWA!

Marrying Medical Communication and the Sign Industry

I had a Eureka! experience yesterday morning, thanks to a friendly person named Bonnie (whose last name I still don't know) and the Australian gents who produce a blog titled Digital Signage. A couple of weeks ago I wrote a comment on the blog, asking if anyone knew anything about medical signs. Whaddya know, a few days later, Bonnie left a comment saying I should check out this link:http://www.scala.com/markets/healthcare-digital-signage.html. I did, and it took me exactly where I wanted to go: a place where I could learn more about how signs and signage are being used by the medical profession. The link took me to a case study of how a company called Scala and one of its certified partners built a network of large (40") programmable LCD displays and installed them in medical clinics and doctors' offices in Ohio. It was a really interesting case study, and now I'm wondering if there are other cases, say, in Pennsylvania, that haven't been written about (yet).

The Eureka! part came when I discovered that the company named in the case study, Scala Inc., is located in the same town where I live, yet it does business all over the world! That's pretty cool. Now I'm wondering if they'll let me write a Sign Buzz blog post about them. I've already sent away for the free demo DVD advertised on their Web site. Stay tuned for more coverage . . . .

Dangerous Sign on Route 113

This photo shows a dangerous sign on Route 113 in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania. The sign obscures the view of oncoming traffic as motorists enter the highway from the driveway of a roadside garden store. As you can see in this photo, a car is coming in the right lane, but visibility of the car is reduced by the sign. The sign is a homemade plywood cutout of a farmer, attached to the steel upright of an existing traffic sign. There's a reason why traffic signs are supported by long skinny poles -- so the poles don't obstruct the view of motorists!

Exploring the Sign Business

For more than a century, every male member of my family has been involved in the sign business. According to family records, my great-great grandfather, Allan H. Harting Sr., was an artist who began advertising his sign painting services in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1876.

Until now, my involvement in the family craft has been limited to lettering the occasional amateur sign for a church project, or repairing something around the house using brass wood screws scavenged from the old fabricating shop that closed in the 1980s.

Due to a combination of circumstances, I'm now getting involved to a greater degree. I now have both a personal and professional interest in the topic, and I hope to use this blog to share discoveries as I pursue these interests.

Here are some of the sign-related themes that I hope to explore in the weeks and months ahead:

Signs and Public Safety: Some traffic signs do a great job, while others fail miserably. Who is taking the initiative to tell the authorities about the problems, and to prevent tragic accidents?

The Chester County Planning Commission is undertaking a thorough revision of its land use plan for the next decade. Yet no where in the draft plan are signs mentioned. Why is that? Don't signs and sign ordinance affect community land use, economic development, transportation and historic resources? Ideally, I'd like to take a poll or survey of some kind among Chester County residents and determine which signs need the most work. Then I'd like to forward the results of that survey to the planners, so they can use that feedback as the rework the master plan.

The United States Sign Council is headquartered in Bristol, Pennsylvania, not far from my home. Some day I'd like to pay a visit and talk with the people there. The council sponsors, or co-sponsors, scientific research into sign design and technology. I think that's really cool and want to find out more about it.

Speaking of research, the Pennsylvania Transportation Institute, part of Penn State, has developed a new font for use in highway signs. Clearview has been designed to be 20 percent more legible at night, without an increase in the size of the sign. This is particularly helpful since so many drivers in our aging society are suffering from a progressive decline in visual acuity, especially at night. What a great project! I'd like to find out more.

How are signs used in medical communication? Is there a junction or nexus where the sign business intersects the medical communication industry? If so, perhaps I can integrate my skills, talent, and training as a medical communicator with my interest in the sign industry.