Category: Non-Powered

Each medical facility has its own set of distinctive challenges, which demands the use of medical carts customized to meet their needs.

While medical carts are an invaluable asset to healthcare facilities, selecting the wrong one can result in unmet requirements. The decision-making process for choosing the most suitable medical cart for your facility requires careful consideration.

As experts in the medical cart industry, we have extensive experience working with diverse facilities and their unique demands. Because of this experience, we feel uniquely qualified to point you in the right direction of the right medical cart for you. We specialize in serving various types of facilities and can recommend the most fitting cart for each scenario.

Medical Carts For Hospitals, Clinics, And Doctor’s Offices

These types of facilities need a very specific kind of cart. There are a couple of things that are most important to consider if this is your kind of facility.

First, many doctors and physicians are using these carts as a kind of mobile workstation. This means that the carts need to have plenty of storage space to keep all the technology that they might need, while also being large and sturdy enough to support laptops and other pieces of technology.

Additionally, with the amount of important information being stored on the technology, it is important that these carts are secure so that no patient information is lost or misplaced.

Because of these two factors, we often recommend our line of Secure Tech Carts. This line of carts offers Hospitals, Clinics, and Doctor’s Offices a cart that keeps patient information secure while providing everything needed to make them a fully mobile workspace. Also being one of our most customizable carts, they can be further changed to meet more of the exact needs of your staff.

From DATACART™ list of medical carts, you can then decide if powered or non-powered medical carts fit your needs. In hospitals, powered medical carts provide a convenient and efficient way for medical staff to access patient information and perform other tasks while on the go. These carts can be easily moved from room to room, allowing doctors, nurses, and other staff members to keep up with their work and stay organized. Otherwise, DATACART™ non-powered carts offer plenty of cable and power cord accessory holes to ensure everything that needs power, gets power.

Medical Carts For Skilled Nursing Facilities

Skilled nursing facilities are quite different from other facilities. They are often very limited in space and tend to be in older buildings, making things more difficult for patient care. All these factors need to be taken into consideration when choosing a medical cart as having something with a small footprint with all the same “bells and whistles” of a standard cart is very important.

Nurses require medical carts that are lightweight, compact, and easy to maneuver. With advancements in technology, nurses can now access patient information and update records at the point of care, saving valuable time and increasing efficiency. With excellent ergonomic features like adjustable height, keyboard tilt, footrests, and swivel capabilities, nurses should experience less fatigue as well.

Because of this, we recommend skilled nursing facilities take a look at our DATACART™ Small Form Factor (SFF) Carts! The SFF line is made to be the best of a full-sized cart in a much smaller footprint. What’s even more incredible? Our SFF carts have more customizations available than some of our competitors’ full-sized carts! That means you can get everything you want in a cart and MORE!

Depending on the actual platform nurses need for their day-to-day activities, we recommend our DATACART™ laptop medical carts! These carts are adjustable and the perfect mobile workstation for healthcare and medical professionals. Likewise, they are fully customizable to fit your medical needs!

Medical Carts For Dialysis Centers

Patients in a Dialysis Center are often there for quite some time. With treatments sometimes taking 4 to 5 hours, it is essential for them to feel comfortable while receiving their treatment. This factor is crucial for Dialysis Centers to consider while choosing a good medical cart for them. What is easy for the staff to use, but also something that can be used by a patient during the treatment they need?

Introducing our Kidney Cart! Kidney carts are the perfect “do it all” cart. They are great for patients to use while receiving care. They feature adjustable heights and can be converted into a mobile workstations to be used by care providers. Because of this flexibility, we knew that we had to make these carts easy to clean. That is why the entire cart is non-porous and antimicrobial for easy cleaning/disinfecting. We have even seen customers purchase these carts for their own home care because they enjoy them so much!

Reach Out to Us

No matter the medical facility, DATACART™ has the solution for you! With a focus on customizability and attention to the finer details of ergonomics, we have all the premium features you could ask for.

Have a feature that you don’t see on our website? Just ask! Not sure what cart could benefit your facility? Let’s talk to come up with the best solution. Our team of experts is ready to help you!

Workstations on wheels (WoWs) have revolutionized accessible healthcare to efficiently serve patients. The workstation on wheels industry is constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of healthcare organizations and their staff. As society continues to advance the way companies operate, the WoWs industry is becoming more adaptive to meet the needs of the future. 

What Are the Driving Force Behind These Changes? 

Updates to WoWs are generally focused on the ever-changing needs of healthcare professionals, design modifications, use cases, and technology. Here is the general breakdown fueling where the industry is headed: 

• Changes in Needs: As the population in the USA is getting older, there is an increased focus on chronic disease management. Healthcare providers require more flexible, mobile workstations that can be used in a variety of settings. There is also a growing need for workstations that can integrate with telehealth platforms and enable remote consultations.
• Changes in Design: Computer carts in general are becoming more lightweight, ergonomic, and customizable. They also feature better cable management and improved battery life to enable longer use times.
• Changes in Use Case: WoWs are now being used for a wider range of applications, including medication administration, wound care, and patient education. They are also being used for longer periods, as healthcare providers are spending more time documenting patient information and accessing electronic health records.
• Popular Models and Types: There are a wide range of WoW models and types available to healthcare providers. Some of the more popular types include units with adjustable height and tilt, battery-powered units with long battery life, and units with integrated telehealth capabilities.
• Keeping Up with Technology: WoWs are incorporating new technologies, such as larger high-definition monitors, high-quality camera systems, and voice recognition software. They are also being designed to integrate with electronic health record systems, barcode scanners, and other technologies to streamline workflows and improve patient care.

Here are some possible trends for the future of workstations on wheels in healthcare for 2023:

Powered Carts and Improved Battery Life 

The standard powered computer cart has already started to be incorporated into healthcare settings (and is here to stay). The future focus on these workstations will be improving their overall specs, like more lightweight designs, improved rechargeable batteries, and easy “hot swap” battery monitoring. 

Traditionally, healthcare professionals would have to disrupt their workflow when they needed to swap power supply or restart their PCs from another power source. Today, the rechargeable battery that powers WoWs offers continuous battery life and quick “hot swap” switching of batteries to streamline workflow without disruptions. 

As healthcare is looking for ways to keep up with long shifts, battery life will need to be optimized to keep up with these needs. Additionally, battery life tracking directly on the battery will be a much-needed update (if not already implemented). 

Increased Focus on Mobility and Ergonomics

Workstations on wheels for healthcare will continue to become more mobile and ergonomic, with a focus on reducing nurse fatigue and increasing ease of use for healthcare workers. This will lead to lighter materials and more adjustable designs to accommodate different users and situations.

The main features that allow decreased fatigue and increased ease of use include electric lifts, which allow the height of a cart/keyboard to be easily adjusted with just a push of a button. Additionally, there is a focus on redesigning WoWs to be able to rotate 180 degrees or more without disrupting service. This would allow full-on triangular care between the user, patient, and cart. 

UV Disinfectant and Other Germ Fighting Features

It isn’t a secret that hospitals come into contact with some of the worst germs and diseases. In some healthcare facilities, UV light cleaning robots are already cleaning hospital rooms. UV radiation is a “known disinfectant for air, water, and nonporous surfaces,” according to the FDA. This UV disinfectant technology may be the next “germ-fighting” improvement that WoWs implement, depending on who sees it as a beneficial add-on. 

Currently, some mobile workstations are adding UV light disinfection technologies straight to their charts. Adding this UV light brings on another issue of cable and space management on the actual cart. Will the workstation industry start to patent and implement their own UV lights straight onto their carts in the future? It’s not certain, but some businesses, including  DATACART™, supply UV Clean Infection Light attachments. This automated chemical-free disinfecting technology attachment is your second line of defense against the spread of infectious microorganisms by dispensing germicidal UV-C light at low levels. 

Enhanced Security Features

With the growing concern over cybersecurity, workstations on wheels will incorporate enhanced security features to ensure patient data is protected. This may include biometric authentication, encryption, and other security measures. Additionally, with remote workstations and telehealth systems, cybersecurity efforts will need to focus on protecting remote workers even more than before. 

Other security features WoWs could focus on physical security improvements like locking laptops, locking carts, and security cables. 

Fleet Management and Artificial Intelligence (AI): 

The management of a fleet of WoWs dispersed around the campuses of healthcare facilities can be challenging for hospital IT teams. Many hospitals are required to maintain carts at off-site sites without on-site tech help. Remote fleet management software has to improve in order to meet those challenges. 

With the use of this program, users may access live information on cart location (which functions like GPS), battery life, availability, and user data. It aids in the proactive decision-making of the IT department. Without real-time data from fleet management software, I.T. might be pushed to purchase more carts, which would increase costs, add more devices to maintain, and cause annoyance with out-of-service carts. DATACART™ powered carts include fleet management software called Mobile Power Manager Software. This software allows for real time information and alerts in different views to keep your fleet of DATACART™ carts going strong.

In addition to remote IT support, workstations on wheels will begin to incorporate AI capabilities, such as natural language processing and machine learning, to assist healthcare workers in their tasks. This could include automating documentation, providing clinical decision support, and helping to manage inventory.

DATACART™ Is Committed to Our Customers

Overall, the workstation on wheels industry is constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of healthcare providers. As technology advances and the healthcare landscape changes, workstations on wheels will continue to adapt and improve to support patient care.

In terms of specific models or types becoming more popular, there is no one-size-fits-all solution in the workstation on wheels industry. Instead, healthcare organizations are choosing workstations based on their specific needs and workflows.

In this quickly shifting environment, one thing is certain: DATACART™ will keep developing cutting-edge mobile computing solutions to meet the changing needs of our clients. Contact us today to learn more! 

Before powered computer carts were on the market, non-powered computer carts were the one (and maybe only) option. Now that powered computer carts provide portable power supplies, deciding to invest in either depends on the needs of your staff and facility. 

Since these computer carts can offer different industries the tech they need, both are equally beneficial. Each provides specs and features that are important to any industry. Before weighing your options, you should ask yourself these questions: 

• Do you need to move around constantly at work? Or are you stationary?
• Do you need continuous power to get the job done? 
• Do you need portable power? Are outlets hard to come by in your workplace?
• Are you looking for desktop, laptop, dual-monitor, or tablet compatibility?
• Do you need to bring power to devices used on the cart? 

Generally, powered carts provide a much longer-lasting power supply, while non-powered carts are limited to the battery in the laptop/tablet. Since a large number of devices have USB capabilities, your decision may solely depend on how long you need to function before charging your tech. When choosing between a non-powered or powered computer cart, there are several benefits to consider:

Mobility

If you need a workstation on wheels (WoWs) that can easily be moved around the facility, both a powered and non-powered computer cart offer the same smooth mobility. Both of these carts are typically lightweight and easy to maneuver, making them ideal for use in a variety of care settings. However, if you need a workstation that can be used for extended periods without the need for frequent charging (or an actual outlet), a powered computer cart might be a better choice.

DATACART™ powered carts have a long-lasting Lithium Iron Phosphate portable battery that can be recharged at night and ready to power through the entire day. So essentially, when it comes to mobility, you need to consider if you don’t mind plugging in your non-powered cart vs. not having to search for an outlet with a powered cart. But if being stationary and charging isn’t an issue, non-powered carts may be of best interest. 

Power/Charging Needs

As stated above, power and charging needs are also crucial benefits to consider. If you plan to use power-hungry devices, such as large monitors or powerful CPUs, a powered cart might be necessary to ensure that you have sufficient power to run the devices for extended periods. On the other hand, if you are looking to use a simple laptop or tablet device, a non-powered cart may be the best option. This isn’t to say that a non-powered cart can’t house large dual monitors or CPUs, it’s just that a powered cart would offer more efficient power usage for a longer time. 

DATACART™ non-powered carts offer plenty of cable and power cord accessory holes to ensure everything that needs power, gets power. While the Small Form Factor carts provide dedicated cable management capabilities for tangle-free maneuverability and charging. 

Workflow

The workflow and productivity factors are similar to mobility needs. If your staff needs to move frequently between rooms or care settings, a non-powered cart might be more practical. However, if your staff needs a workstation that can be used for extended periods without the need for frequent charging, a powered cart might be necessary. 

The great thing about each of these carts is that their storage and security accessories can help increase overall productivity. When your staff has everything they need at their fingertips, on their computer carts, it cuts down unnecessary time spent searching for essential items or worrying about the security of important documents. 

Ergonomics

Lastly, consider the ergonomic needs of the professionals who will be using the workstation. When it comes to being ergonomic, there isn’t much of a difference between these carts besides sit-to-stand capabilities and other fatigue-limiting specs. Not all non-powered carts have these features. DATACART™ powered and non-powered carts can be adjusted to meet the specific needs of individual users, so you won’t have to sacrifice comfort. 

Although sit-to-stand capabilities are important, they aren’t the only factors that affect ergonomics. Think about how these carts move around from place to place—are the wheels operating smoothly? What type of wheeling technology is used? Caster wheels are very important. DATACART™ uses high-performance casters—both single and dual wheels. These caster wheels provide smooth gliding motion for all of our carts alike. The ability to move a cart easily is limited by how good the wheels are. 

Which is Right for You?

The decision to invest in powered or non-powered computer carts will ultimately depend on your needs. Here at DATACART™, all our powered and non-powered carts are completely customizable, and adjustable, and offer mobile storage for all professionals! 

Need help deciding what you need? Contact us today to discuss options!