These days, healthcare workers employed in hospitals have a lot on their plates. Despite the many stresses faced by doctors, nurses, and aids, these experts are still heading to work every day to provide the best possible patient care. Purchasing managers can help healthcare workers maintain efficiency and improve patient outcomes by looking into the ways that computer workstations on wheels are reshaping the healthcare industry.
1. Improved Data Accuracy
With a point of care computing cart, healthcare workers can collect and organize patient data right at the bedside or in the exam room. Nurses always record relevant information in patient charts, but if they must leave the room to use a stationary workstation or, even worse, wait for a shared computer to become available, there’s far more room for error. When hospitals switch to workstations on wheels, nurses and other healthcare providers no longer have to make multiple trips to shared, centralized workstations, which can reduce reporting errors and improve data accuracy.
2. On-Hand Equipment and Supplies
Many models of mobile workstations also give healthcare providers access to the supplies and equipment required to provide excellent patient care. Though some are designed to contain only computers, most models built for hospital settings also feature storage drawers for supplies. Since nurses checking on patients and recording data will have easy, immediate access to all kinds of supplies, they’ll be able to save time and improve the efficiency of care.
3. Reduced Chances of Cross-Contamination
Even in well-maintained, exceptionally clean hospitals, cross contamination can pose a serious risk to vulnerable patients. Each year, almost two million U.S. patients develop infections in healthcare facilities. Assigning each nurse a mobile workstation that’s designed to be kept on the floor and sanitized frequently can reduce the chances of cross contamination and infection, especially if staff members are trained to sanitize the carts after each use.
4. Increased Efficiency of Patient Care
Workstations on wheels can improve the efficiency of patient care in a few key ways.
- Doctors and nurses making rounds won’t have to make repeated trips to centralized workstations to find patient information.
- The risk of error when retrieving patient data or communicating it between doctors and nurses is lower when hospitals provide mobile workstations.
- Communication between providers and patients is more efficient when doctors and nurses can view all of the patient’s information from the bedside.
5. Increased Patient Engagement
Even though some states have placed restrictions on how many patients each nurse can take on a shift, there are currently no federal guidelines regarding staffing ratios. As a result, some nurses in busy hospitals are forced to care for many patients per shift, making it difficult to devote sufficient time to each of them. The improvements in efficiency that come along with making the switch to mobile workstations can give otherwise overworked nurses extra time to spend getting to know the patients and encouraging them to play an active role in their care.
Quality Is Key
For hospitals that are ready to make the switch to workstations on wheels, quality is the key. Choose workstations that are designed specifically for hospitals and other medical facilities, and consider buying models that feature storage space for frequently used supplies. The improvements in staff efficiency and patient care will more than make up for the investment.
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