Timely and efficient delivery is an essential component of high-quality healthcare—and that delivery can benefit from access to a good set of wheels.
Medical carts of all shapes, sizes and functionalities are transforming healthcare delivery at a pivotal time when nursing departments, emergency departments and surgery centers are struggling to do more with less. In the face of nursing shortages, increased expectations and overworked staffs, carts ease the strain while boosting productivity. Most important, they facilitate positive patient outcomes.
When minutes or even seconds count, an optimized workflow is invaluable. Carts significantly reduce wasted time and wasted energy by giving clinicians instant access to the instruments, medications, supplies and information they need to do their jobs effectively. In ERs and ORs, particularly, the difference is potentially lifesaving as well as load lightening.
What a Good Cart Can Do for You
Today’s best healthcare is integrated, collaborative and timely. It crosses disciplines, it demands the sharing of vital information, and it responds appropriately to the urgency of the situation. It also is becoming increasingly mobile and flexible—adapting in real time, when necessary, to confront new challenges that arise.
Rolling medical carts and workstations are up to the challenge of providing responsive and portable care, expanding the range of diagnostic and treatment possibilities when space or other resources may be at a premium. When staff have on hand everything they and their patients need, they avoid making multiple time- and labor-consuming trips across the facility to obtain supplies or information.
Whatever the need, simple or complex, if it’s related to healthcare delivery, there’s probably a cart that can be easily integrated into the workflow. From transporting items to connecting stakeholders, carts reduce delays and eliminate gaps. Technology-enabled carts can increase communication and collaboration across locations. (Telehealth works, as the pandemic forced providers, patients and payers to acknowledge.) Those involved in a patient’s care can share information in real time, wherever they are, with nurses and physicians recording digital notes immediately at bedside. Clinicians now have tools that allow them to observe patients remotely and make assessments that guide their treatment. Similarly, a patient’s family can meet virtually with the care team and specialists. The right cart can help make it all possible.
Determining the Right Cart for You
So what cart is right for you? Whatever your situation, you want a cart that is:
- Built for your specific needs. Customization is key to equipping your facility with the carts that will best meet your healthcare requirements. What kind of drawers, bins or other storage do you need? Are you looking for versatility or specialization? Do you need digital technology support for capturing and communicating real-time information?
- Easy to transport. If mobility is important, you want wheels and casters that roll smoothly, getting your cart to where it needs to be as smoothly as possible.
- Easy to access. For those who are authorized, easy access—to medicine, supplies, electric power, computer applications, information—is a must. Carts can be equipped with power sources and with software that manages access and permissions and tracks activity.
- Safe and secure. The same tools that allow access by those who need it can keep out those who do not, protecting patients and limiting risk.
- Durable, ergonomically designed, space conscious and easy to clean. Carts should be rugged enough for everyday use, designed for safe and efficient use, convenient to store, and a snap to keep clean and disinfected.
Whether you need medication carts, anesthesia carts, isolation carts, crash carts, bedside or point-of-care carts, IV fluid carts, endoscopy carts, supply or utility carts, you want a product you can rely on time after time. Even better, you want a supplier who is ready to help you define and meet your needs, from supply delivery to diagnosis and testing, from emergency response and infection control to facilitating prescriptions and discharge documents. Your staff and your patients deserve to experience the transformation that the right cart can bring to high-quality healthcare delivery.
At Storage Systems Unlimited, we offer a wide array of carts from manufacturers including Armstrong Medical, Blickman, Capsa Healthcare, Harloff, Innerspace by Solaire Medical, InterMetro, Lakeside, MASS, Quantum, TouchPoint Medical and Waterloo. We are your One-Stop Shop for storage-related products for every healthcare application: shelving, workstations, cabinets, plastic products, stainless steel and more. Contact us at 1-888-614-0004 or visit storagesystemsul.com to learn more or request a quote.