If your team is working overtime or even dealing with a regular day in the ICU, the last thing you need to worry about is whether their work is interrupted by low batteries. Powered medical carts are now a standard part of medical care, but maintaining their energy source is difficult when staff are hurrying from room to room.
Constant access to a medical PC is essential, so investing in quality battery packs for carts improves patient and staff satisfaction. Hot-swap batteries are the latest in battery technology and are a huge improvement over the healthcare medical cart of decades past.
The Importance of Medical Computers
As federal laws have changed to require increased use of electronic health records (EHRs), healthcare facilities have begun to use mobile medical PCs and tablets even more. These mobile devices are essential to minimizing errors because they allow staff to update EHRs directly instead of writing data on paper and traveling to an old-fashioned computer room.
Medical computers are almost constantly used during a medical professional’s shift. Computer carts that rely on power cables or have short battery lives impede your team’s workflow as they stay in constant motion in their wards.
Changes in the Past 10 Years
With all the changes in battery technology, many healthcare medical cart companies are now creating 3rd or 4th editions of their earlier battery system designs. One of the biggest obstacles that manufacturers wanted to overcome was the loss of power to all connected components on the cart, including computers, while changing the cart’s battery.
Hot-swappable batteries involve installing a second battery slot on a cart, then configuring the cart’s power system to allow an immediate switch over to the new power source. The hot-swap feature allows staff to instantly remove the drained battery, return it to the charger, and resume their duties. The fresh battery continues supplying power to the equipment without interruption.
Many other improvements have also appeared over the years, including easier troubleshooting and better battery life displays. However, hot-swap batteries are one of the most valuable features for busy medical staff who need power fast without interrupting computer access.
Why Hot-Swappable Battery Systems are Convenient
Hot-swap battery systems are straightforward and require minimal training to use. Newer battery chemistries such as Lithium-Iron-Phosphate (LiFePO4) are light yet long-lasting, making them ideal for the rigors of healthcare work environments.
With the easy-to-read display on modern battery systems like our Flexible Mobile Cart Power Technology (FMCPT), you can tell at a glance whether the battery is correctly inserted.
Power Requirements
The maximum autonomy of an average laptop or tablet rarely exceeds 3-4 hours when constantly used. Access to a wireless laptop cart to plug them into extends their useful life dramatically, especially if you’re frequently pulling up records and displaying high-resolution images.
Next-generation processors reduce load times and allow you to update patient records faster, but drain the battery quickly if you’re running the laptop at full power. Full-sized medical-grade computers and vitals monitoring equipment can also drain a medical cart battery quickly.
Consequently, equipping your facility with wireless carts and medical hot-swappable battery systems is crucial to keep all connected equipment powered.
Managing Long Shifts
Since older lead-acid battery systems only lasted 4-6 hours on average, medical staff usually need to swap batteries halfway through shifts. The low capacity could have potentially severe consequences in an emergency room or ICU. Even under everyday circumstances, the constant need to recharge these older-style batteries negatively impacts patient experience and nurse workflows.
Shifts of 12 hours or longer almost inevitably require a battery change, but only having to change it once instead of twice makes an enormous difference. Your staff’s strength and energy levels naturally decline throughout such long shifts, and they may not notice the battery’s power level until it’s too late.
Our FMCPT not-swappable batteries come with audio and visual alerts and non-ambiguous, hours-and-minutes indicators notifying staff when the battery requires replacement.
High-quality LiFePO4 batteries also don’t see as much reduction in capacity as lead-acid batteries, even after thousands of charge cycles. Your swappable battery packs will last for years, no matter how busy your facility is, making them valuable investments.
Your Healthcare Medical Cart Needs
Scott-Clark Medical creates a vast range of highly customizable healthcare medical carts for facilities of all types and sizes. We make anesthesia, crash, medication, and computer carts to fit your facility and wards’ unique needs.
Our medical carts use durable and lightweight materials and height-adjusting features to enhance their ergonomics and make them as convenient as possible during a complete shift. Our peripherals and add-ons include tool buckets and drawers so your staff can complete their rounds with just one cart’s worth of supplies.
We work hard to build cart frames that meet your needs without compromising safety or durability. Our team has multiple cart bases to keep your carts balanced and light enough for your team to use comfortably.
Call us today at (512) 883-4564 and talk to one of our team members about customized solutions for you.