STRATEGIC SOURCING & LOGISTICS sponsored by CARTS
1. Antimicrobial materials & surfaces: “If your current cart isn’t infused with antimicrobial materials and surfaces this should be your No. 1 reason to upgrade. Antimicrobial surfaces improve infection control. This is important, not just because of COVID, but because of general patient care and safety. And to also offer peace of mind for end users that the equipment they are using is safe for them and their patients.”
2.A broad range of security options: “Again, sticking with the safety theme. What type of security does your cart offer in the sense of protecting what’s inside the cart? The right security for each application, from tamper evident seals offering quick visual security to mechanical locks to [radiofrequency identification] electronic locks with individual drawer access control. Your procedure carts need to be stocked and ready to go. These types of security features make sure that what’s inside the cart — whether it’s medication, PPE or other supplies — remains safe and secure and also make it easy to quickly assess the carts availability at a glance.”
3. Full extension drawers with removable inserts: “Nothing is more frustrating or dangerous than when you can’t access something that you need when you’re in a critical situation. If your current carts don’t provide full visual and physical access to drawer contents, it’s time to upgrade. There are also removable drawer inserts to facilitate rapid restocking at the drawer level so that the cart is always ready for the next procedure.
4.High quality casters, including directional steering casters: “Casters are one of the most common break points on medical carts, so choosing a cart with high quality casters is essential. Directional steering casters increase the level and ease of mobility for end users.”
5.An expandable worksurface: “Create additional organized task specific workspace when needed without increasing the footprint of the cart.” Both Capsa’s Grabowski and H+H System’s Ramcoobeer urge a
move for carts toward connectivity rather than just serve as mechanical equipment. For Grabowski, this translates to remote user management. “Administrators want better security and better control over who is accessing the carts,” he noted. “Clinicians want them to be easy to use. They want to get in, get what they need and get out. Upgrading to carts with remote user management can provide both. There are a variety of locking systems but the most common is a keypad with one code that everyone knows. This makes access easy but not very secure. “Remote user management allows administrators to add and remove
users remotely from a web browser,” Grabowski continued. “The new user will have access wherever needed across the hospital instantly without the need to manually update carts. Deleting old users is just as easy, minimizing the security risks of theft and diversion from keys, old codes or badges around a facility.” An organization’s cart should be able to interact seamlessly with the
other components of the pharmacy — acting almost as an ecosystem, contributing to the overall pharmacy environment, according to Ram- coobeer. “
This lack of integration, seen with the majority of carts on the market, causes substantial workflow inefficiencies, leading to a loss of time, money and ultimately patient care,” he said. “At H+H System, we believe the different areas of pharmacy storage should be able to work together, as to provide the most seamless workflow experience possible. This concept is immediately seen in the design of our FlexShelf line of products — bins from a FlexShelf storage tower containing heavy saline or IV fluids, for example, can be directly placed into one of our mobility units for quick access and easy distribution, saving both valuable time and effort.”
Carts: What should be eliminated? Given the chance to eliminate some feature, material or option on a cart model today, experts are neither obtuse nor reticent to suggest the possibilities.
14 July 2022 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS •
hpnonline.com
WORKSTATIONS
runtimes, that they should take a serious look at upgrading their fleet. There is a shortage of nursing resources in this country, so offering a best-in-class mobile workstation is not only the right thing to do for caregivers, it becomes a feature for attracting new, much needed employees.” The lack of ergonomic adjustability can lead to other challenges,
according to Torbett. “Many older workstations lack flexibility to support a broad set of configurations other than a traditional combination of monitor and keyboard,” he observed. “There is increasing demand for the ability to mix and match different components using one common family of mounting solutions. Having the flexibility to mount just a display or all-in-one with touch screen, dual monitors, a laptop or tablets, helps to support a wider range of current and future use cases. In addition, mounting options for CPUs, and convenient access to scanners, print- ers and other devices and supplies need to be considered. Having more flexibility future-proofs the selection of workstation components so they can be moved and exchanged as clinical needs change.”
Workstations: What should be eliminated? As with carts, experts pinpoint with relative ease components they would cast away. “Onsite assembly,” Loper said. “Most workstations are too large
to preassemble because they will not fit through the doorways and/ or elevator in a hospital so the workstations are delivered knocked down. This requires onsite assembly in the final resting place of the workstation inside the department. Think IKEA but more intense, doing assembly work in a sterile environment. Not fun.” Torbett concurs. “The nicest thing to eliminate on fixed workstations
would be the requirements associated with installing the workstation,” he indicated. “Fixed workstations require planning to determine where to place the workstation and how to mount it properly. They require more cross-functional coordination to align plans and expectations. There is inherently less flexibility with stationary workstations than there is with carts, which are often preferred by IT as they are easier to swap out for maintenance and move out of the way without dis- rupting patient care areas. Non-powered carts are sometimes used as a compromise that offer mobile flexibility, while keeping costs lower so that one cart can be assigned to each room.” Salus points to the obvious: “Laminate. It has an old look and is less
sanitary than other options on the market.” For Ramcoobeer, it’s fixed, static technology. “It has become
increasingly apparent that if a workspace and its components are not able to adapt to the needs of the user, workflow can be severely impacted,” he said. “I believe there needs to be a transition away from fixed components in a workstation to a more modular design. Doing so allows healthcare professionals to spend substantially less time on non-clinical functions, transitioning the focus back to ef- ficiency and patient care.” Although Carlson hints at a number of detractors that “actually
rob time and attention from the primary focus of caregivers,” he zooms in on one. “I would focus on the reduction of swappable cart battery solutions
marketed by a number of manufacturers,” he noted. “Not only do they appear as an afterthought on most products, but they rob the nursing staff of precious time that they simply do not have to give. A nurse or a caregiver has a full plate already on every shift, every day/night, so requiring them to be the stewards of swappable battery systems in addition to their existing heavy workload is not a great option. The goal is to reduce the total number and time of tasks that nursing has outside of providing direct patient care, not to add to it.” HPN
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