Choose the Best Medical Cart with Five Easy Tips!

Computer on Wheels (COWs) and Workstations on Wheels (WOWs) powered medical carts are widely used in hospitals and other healthcare settings. Medical carts in many different shapes and sizes and are constructed with different materials, such as stainless steel, painted steel, plastic, polycarbonate, etc. Most medical carts in the market provide a wide range of customization options that will fit, form, function, and meet the specific needs of any facility. However, it should still end up comfortable with great ergonomics to take care of your staff. Cornell University released a checklist that gives some guidance on ergonomic issues that are important considerations for a decision maker who is selecting the best computer cart for their needs. The checklist takes five sections into consideration: cart maneuvering, worksurfaces/data input, screen/document reading, storage/accessories/power, and hygiene.

Nurses spend a lot of time on patient documentation, medication administration and care coordination, all requiring the use of the workstation. To avoid doctors, nurses, and medical assistants from wasting their time and getting fatigued moving from place to place, designing the workstation ergonomically is very important. While selecting your workstation, consider the following:

<Lightweight Design> Since nurses will move the cart from place to place, it needs to be lightweight so that they can push or pull the cart with minimal force. Moreover, it should not take up too much space. The cart base should be narrow enough to maneuver in tight spaces, such as around a hospital bed or in the corner of a room. 

 <Height Adjustment> A medial cart should have the ability to adjust its height to fit each user. The height adjustment feature on medical carts enables user to change the height of the desktop with ease. Sturdy and smooth adjustment supports the weight of the frame and all accessories.

Staffs in all departments need to input data and update patients' information into the hospital's system. So the cart should have an adequate, stable work surface platform for mounting the desired computer unit such as a laptop or tablet. Moreover, you should be able to tilt, rotate and adjust its height for maximum configuration.

You should be able to adjust the display to eye level for both standing and sitting use, which includes tilting, swiveling, rotating, raising, and lowering the display. The size of the display should be large enough to read the data.

Not only bringing necessary patient information, but medical staff should also transport essential tools and medications for patients' rounds. So, your medical carts should have sufficient convenient storage space with security for task requirements. Besides, the cart should accommodate all of the required accessories such as drawers, sharp containers, and medicine compartments. A reliable battery with a proven design should ensure adequate power for task demands.

What the pandemic Covid-19 has done is implemented much more stringent and frequent cleaning schedules for these workstations. So, materials that are easy to clean and sterilize should be used for the workstations. Being comfortable to touch, not chip or crack, rounded edges are factors that should be considered for the medical carts.

An ergonomic medical cart is pivotal to staff safety and productivity. Visit our product page to see all models of medical carts. You can also contact our experts for a free demo of our ergonomically designed medical carts and computer workstations-on-wheel.