A mobile medical cart can help staff to improve their response times, raise the quality of treatment, and improve overall hospital workflow. It can be easy to focus on the revolutionary technology that these carts bring to a clinical setting. Still, it’s just as important to consider what manufacturers use to construct your cart.
In some situations, it may be preferable to have a slightly heavier cart that can support more equipment, whereas at other times a lighter cart may be crucial to providing patient care due to its easy maneuverability.
Fortunately, there is a range of carts for you to choose from to meet your specific requirements.
Battery Life
One of the most vital aspects of a mobile medical cart is the battery. After all, it powers everything else, and without it, patient care may suffer. Older lead batteries do not use up-to-date technology, and you will need to recharge and replace the batteries regularly. This process can be expensive and potentially harmful to the environment.
Newer batteries use lithium-ion technology which holds a charge for a long time, and you can recharge them, so they last for an extended period. Lithium-ion batteries can also be charged on the cart, even while it is in motion, eliminating the need to stop and plug a trolley into a wall socket.
Lightweight Materials
Medical staff need to be able to move their carts around the medical facility so they can improve patient outcomes. Carts are lightweight and often made of a combination of aluminium, stainless steel and plastic. While steel is solid, the lightweight aluminium and plastic don’t add as much weight to a cart.
Cart design is also ergonomic, with a slim, streamlined design which allows the user to navigate a clinical ward without bumping into others or taking up unnecessary space. When at the point of care, the unit will fit comfortably into the hospital bay so a physician can pull the covers around for patient privacy.
Drawer Design
A physician or nurse needs access to medical supplies, and they need to know that mobile carts keep these pharmaceuticals safe. In a clinical setting, there are likely to be patients who suffer from drug addictions, so drugs need to be kept out of sight and with controlled access.
You can choose a mobile medical cart with drawers fitted with biometric locking systems which use proximity scanners to allow access. Only a trusted medical professional who carries a card encoded with the correct permissions will receive access. Drawers can be constructed of aluminium to add an extra layer of sturdiness.
Surface Area
While carts need to carry substantial amounts of equipment, it is also essential they are not too big. These carts will come into contact with many healthcare professionals, patients, visitors, and others who are in a hospital setting.
A physician or nurse will need to disinfect the cart before and after visiting each patient thoroughly. If there are unnecessary areas, then the risk of missing a section will increase.
You can have your cart finished with a powder coating to help prevent bacterial growth, but all areas will still need thorough clean multiple times daily.
Space for Equipment
Although a cart shouldn’t be too spacious, it still needs to be able to carry all the equipment required. Different specialists will kit their cart out with various devices that are specific to their patients. Crash carts need tools that are unnecessary for an operating room, which in turn, has different needs to a general ward.
Conductive Casters
With all the expensive life-saving equipment on board, your cart will need conductive casters. As a cart makes its way through the ward, static electricity can build-up. Conductive casters send this electricity back to the hospital floor.
Without them, the charge could reach the medical equipment, causing irreparable damage. If this was to happen on the way to a patient, and the medic didn’t know before trying to use the device, then it could prove harmful, if not fatal, to their patient.
Final Thoughts
Manufacturers design medical carts to meet the needs of a range of clinical scenarios. The construction and accessories contribute to the speed, strength and versatility of your specific cart.
Call Scott-Clark Medical at (512)-598-5837 to discuss how we can customize a cart to meet the needs of your healthcare facility.