Medical computer carts are revolutionizing the way healthcare professionals deliver care to their patients. By making the necessary tools and information readily accessible, medical computer carts increase efficiency and decrease costly errors.
The inefficiency of stationary computer systems
In 2015, a study found that nurses spent the majority of their shifts at the computer, entering patient data and accessing records at a central nurses’ station. Interruptions, including phone calls and patient requests, made the process even more time-consuming.
Nurses often find themselves waiting their turn at the limited number of computers found behind the nurse’s station desk. Many nurses have to share these computers with doctors, leading to a backlog of patient record data that must be entered.
More of the data entry process should occur in patient rooms. This allows one-on-one discussion between the nurse and the patient about important health information and limits the number of interruptions during this data entry process.
Modern medical carts
The advantages of medical carts are not just limited to making electronic health records accessible on-the-go. Custom computer carts can hold additional medical supplies to create optimized computing workstations.
A modern medical cart can be equipped with height adjustment capabilities for an ideal work surface for each healthcare professional who uses the cart in a week.
Mobile carts are easy to use and access in the patient room, and they provide most of the supplies doctors or nurses need to decrease the time care providers must leave the patients to retrieve care items.
Reducing errors
One of the primary issues with stationary computer stations is that nurses and doctors often enter crucial information hours after they’ve met with the patient. If their notes are incomplete, or if they have seen several patients, information may get mixed up.
Fatigue at the end of a long shift can also contribute to data entry errors.
Mobile computer carts allow doctors and nurses to enter data at the point of care. This provides time for the doctor or nurse to verify information, correct unclear handwriting on questionnaires, enter medication and allergy information, and check test results.
Reduction of errors is a safety priority
Reducing data entry errors is essential to increasing quality patient care. Errors in the computer system can lead to misdiagnosis and incorrect medication prescriptions.
In some cases, these errors can mean the difference between life or death, especially if medication allergies are not entered correctly.
Reduction of errors is a fiscal priority
On average, medical errors cost about $20 billion each year. Adverse reactions from medication and procedural errors are included in these costs, but the majority of the fiscal waste is consumed in medical malpractice litigation.
There is also a waste of time for healthcare professionals who must correct the errors, investigate the causes of errors, and perform additional surgeries.
Reducing errors in the medical workplace should be a priority for all healthcare providers.
Final thoughts
Medical computer carts increase quality patient care by making data entry more efficient and accurate. High-quality medical computer carts are excellent investments for healthcare providers. To learn more about how a medical cart can improve your practice, hospital, or clinic call Scott-Clark Medical at (512) 756-7300.