Medical cart manufacturers offer hundreds of different types of mobile medical carts for sale. Many carts are designed specifically for specific medical specialties like pediatrics.
You can also customize a new or existing cart and stock it with the equipment that best serves its use at your hospital or clinic. Some features to include:
Electronics
Pediatric mobile carts for hospitals today require power.
The ability to bring a computer to a child’s bedside can make a significant difference in productivity. Nurses and doctors no longer need to rely on memory or scribbled notes. Nor do they need to rely on third parties to enter the data or be concerned about due to stressed and overtired personnel forgetting to record vital information.
Bringing the computer directly to the room can speed up the process of giving medications or taking vitals. This extra time can allow nurses and doctors to bond with the kids and their families and answer any questions.
A computer allows instant entry and, even more critical, immediate access by caregivers to a child’s condition.
Usually, stationary medical equipment can become mobile with carts of wheels that carry power with them. This portable power enables nurses and doctors to rapidly respond to pediatric emergencies without moving the child and possibly exacerbating the medical problem.
Batteries
Medical carts come with a variety of batteries choices. Scott-Clark Medical offers the very latest in Lithium Ion technology. These batteries are lightweight and long lasting, making them perfect for busy pediatric units.
Hot-swap batteries also make care givers’ lives a lot easier in the event of a pediatric emergency. With hot-swap power, you will never lose power during a critical operation or emergency procedure. Hot-swap permits you to swap out batteries while maintaining the flow of electricity to the piece of equipment in use.
The Importance of Choosing an Ergonomic Cart
Whatever medical cart you select have ergonomics in mind. If the cart is poorly designed, the hours spent standing and using the carts in uncomfortable; unnatural positions will adversely affect your workers’ health.
Talk to colleagues at other healthcare facilities and determine what they like, and don’t like, about the carts they use.
Consider the Size and Who Will Use the Cart the Most
The size of the hospital hallways and the pediatric care rooms may limit the types of carts best suited for the clinic. Pediatric rooms come in all shapes and sizes, so a cart that allows for flexibility is important when determining the correct medical cart for your work environment.
Where carts will be stored may also affect the length and width of the carts you use. Many carts have extensions or cleverly designed modular additions.
Integrated batteries and other equipment may decrease the size, whereas attempting to retrofit any existing carts may make the carts too big and unwieldy.
Weight is also important. Weight down a cart with too much heavy equipment or purchasing a cart with casters that don’t maneuver easily may make it difficult for smaller or slight personnel to use.
Custom Made or Off-the-Rack
Many companies make mobile carts designed for pediatric use, with several options to choose from.
For example, there are pediatric resuscitation mobile carts explicitly made to address infant emergencies. These carts have a stabilizing frame construction; cardiac board sized for infants, IV poles, defibrillator shelfs, oxygen tank holders, chart holders, and more.
Pediatric centers can opt for customization instead. The Scott-Clark Medical design team can work with your staff to include all the features your pediatric unit requires in a medical cart.
A custom-made cart can also include the ability to lock your medical cart; this feature is important when working in a pediatric clinic. Children are naturally curious, so the ability to keep important medications or medical tools secure is necessary to keep the patient safe.
Sanitation
The construction material used in today’s carts has varying degrees of germ-resistance.
When you consider a general mobile cart for your pediatric ward, consider stainless steel or one of the special polymers that have a natural resistance to bacteria.