No hospital or healthcare facility today could do without medical carts on wheels.
Recently, many clinics have begun either buying new or retrofitting many existing carts with battery power sources.
Technological advances have allowed the miniaturization of many types of medical equipment. Designers have made these smaller, portable versions of larger machines to run on battery power.
Computers have also become mainstays of a nurse or doctor’s bedside or emergency room equipment. Portable battery packs provide significant advantages when using PCs or laptops. Batteries save time, effort, and reduce costs.
Hospitals need medical carts with the capability to provide power through portable battery packs or risk lowering standards of patient care.
Non-Powered Carts
Non-powered carts have two main advantages compared to powered carts: weight and cost.
Weight
The less weight on the cart, the easier it is to maneuver. Larger and heavier carts also increase the risk of back pain or repetitive stress injuries.
Batteries, especially older batteries, add weight. Newer batteries are very light, some less than 8 lbs. Older batteries, however, can weigh 20 lbs. or more.
Battery systems add to the price of a cart. A few years ago, if you wanted a mobile cart with a power source integral to the cart, you had to buy a new one. Today, manufacturers sell refurbished carts with power sources.
At Scott-Clark Medical, we will send technicians to your facility to refurbish your existing cart, so you have as little interruption to your workflow as possible.
Cost
Power systems add to the cost of mobile medical carts. Depending on a clinic’s budget and replacement cycles, adding power may exceed allocated funds.
However, if you consider the usefulness in saving time and labor of adding power to a cart, you likely will discover adding a battery pack is worth the price.
Powering Critical Equipment
Power-supplying carts increase efficiencies by several factors in a hospital environment.
The newer, dual power back batteries, powered by lithium phosphate instead of lithium ion like the ones sold by Scott-Clark Medical, will not only last longer but will also ensure that you never run out of power during a shift.
Lithium phosphate batteries can last up to 12-hour of continuous use. The twin battery packs hot swap the power supply without interruption.
Healthcare workers can improve patient care by taking vitals at a patient’s bedside, inputting data, and responding to emergencies without moving the patient.
Powering Peripherals
Carts make it simple to carry and use peripheral devices. Barcode readers, printers, labelers, and other items no longer need to remain at a nurse’s station, closet, or some other inconvenient location.
Computers
Computers on Wheels (COWs) have revolutionized hospital management and patient care. The ability to use a computer no matter where you may go in a hospital is one of the most important things that a cart with a power source allows.
The Electronic Health Record (EHR) mandate has forced hospitals to institute some way of quickly and accurately maintaining patient records, while at the same time allowing doctors, patients, healthcare workers, and others interface and interact effectively.
Computers on carts with a source of power make this much easier to accomplish.
Data entry and data access become almost instantaneous, no matter where the authorized party may be located, with a computer immediately available.
Error rates go down significantly by bringing computers and data entry to the patient rather than relying on someone else using your notes, or yourself relying on memory, entering the data later.
Final Thoughts
As technology advances and more medical devices and equipment get smaller, having dependable power supplies with you always becomes critical, if not mandatory.
Mobile medical carts with batteries enable you to not only do your job easier but also improve the quality of patient care.
For more information on our carts or battery technology, please call Scott-Clark Medical at 512-598-5466 or complete our online contact form.