Put simply; mobile work stations are the efficient replacement for the standard, stationary work desk with its desktop computer. Mobile work stations are the wave of the future for healthcare, in large part because they are revolutionizing the way that healthcare is performed for and perceived by patients across the globe.
The idea behind the mobile work station seems almost too simple to be true: Put the technology and equipment that a medical professional needs on wheels, and voila, the jobs suddenly become much easier, and the work can be completed more efficiently.
Medical Records
On average, a nurse spends nearly half of his or her shift on the proper documentation and recording of patient information and overall interactions. In the past, this meant a constant back-and-forth between the patient room and the nurse’s station, where the desktop waited for input.
Now, with mobile work stations, medical records, patient information, and all forms of on-the-job documentation can be done anywhere at any time. The nurse simply needs to roll the cart to where he or she is going, and then during discussion with a patient or doctor, he or she can instantaneously input information into the medical record database. This not only improves the speed with which this job can be completed, but the accuracy as well, since the odds of forgetting the information decrease.
These medical carts also allow for a greater degree of patient interactions, as doctors and nurses can actively interact with patient records at the click of a button in the patient’s room. This could include showing patient and possible caregivers crucial medical information, charts, x-rays, CAT scans, and other valuable medical data that is used for diagnoses. And the best part? With a mobile work station, it is all conveniently in one, portable place.
Medication Carts
The average hospital or smaller medical office is often the image of a fast-paced environment where small mistakes can mean big problems, which means there is very little room for error. A mobile work station in the form of a medication cart can help cut down on some of this hectic fervor by supplying nurses and other medical professionals with a portable tool with an attached laptop that is connected to the hospital or office’s medical records platform.
A quality medication cart allows for both quick reference of medical data and dispensation of the correct medications for each patient. A medication cart should involve a number of locked drawers below a laptop stand that can only be accessed by authorized individuals. Each of these drawers holds the necessary medications that a nurse or other medical professional may need to administer on a daily basis, all in one convenient, mobile location.
Custom Carts
There are really no limits to what a mobile work station can look like or function as for a medical facility. When it comes to choosing a medical cart, it is important to keep in mind the overall purpose of the cart in conjunction with the medical facility’s overall point of care protocol.
For a general hospital or emergency room, an all-purpose cart would probably be the best choice. Monitor, keyboard, high-capacity battery, vitals monitor, signature pad, access to medical records, cassette drawers in all shapes and sizes—whatever the general purpose might be, customization options are readily available.
A surgery center would want to consider a cart that is equipped with a large monitor display (possibly even more than one) with plenty of battery power to withstand long procedures. This would help increase the efficiency of the surgery by allowing the surgeon and his or her medical assistants to better see, and thus understand, the surgery as it is happening in real time.
These are just a couple of the options that a mobile work station can be customized into to fit the specific needs of an office or hospital.
Conclusion
Mobile work stations have become an essential part of quality healthcare and will continue to grow in importance and complexity. With customized options, the opportunities are endless in how a mobile medical cart can help medical facilities better provide superior care for patients.