A medical cart is an essential part of any healthcare facility. With the help of medical carts, efficiency can be improved when delivering medications and transporting equipment and supplies.
A large medical facility, like a hospital, may have several types of medical carts to support different aspects of patient care. On the same note, field-specific facilities have different swivel casters and utility carts that reflect the specialties of their staff.
With a medical cart designed to store, carry, and transport medical supplies and equipment, hospital staff can swiftly attend to codes and emergencies or perform routine treatments.
Depending on the needs of a facility and the functions of a department, customized trolleys with unique features can be made. The designs are robust and lightweight for ease of use, and stainless steel is mostly used for the build.
An emergency cart transports and dispenses emergency medication and supplies for a code. This code refers to cardiopulmonary resuscitation that demands advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) devices and first-line drugs, like lidocaine, epinephrine, and sodium chloride. Also known as a crash cart or code cart, it also carries the following:
A pediatric crash cart is used for storing pediatric medication. It is stationed at the pediatric ward or children's clinic. Its contents are similar to the standard hospital cart contents, but the sizes are for kids. Additional tools, accessories, and paraphernalia are also kept in the drawers or trays to assist in pediatric-specific procedures.
Anesthesia trolleys are built to travel with anesthesiologists and transport medical supplies specific to anesthesia to operation rooms. These carts have locking drawers and are consequently trusted for safely storing potentially dangerous medical tools and anesthetics.
As these trolleys follow doctors into sterile operating rooms, they must be repeatedly disinfected. Anesthesia carts are constructed from durable materials to withstand the corrosive effects of heavy-duty disinfectants.
Hospitals, nursing schools, and doctor's clinics commonly use procedure or treatment carts. For improved organization and easy access to supplies, the drawers can be customized with additional tubs or dividers.
This type of medical cart requires specialized waste bins for hazardous wastes like used cotton balls, used gloves, dirty liquids, disposable linings, used needles and syringes, and other sharps. It is also imperative and a standard that treatment carts roll and lock on the wheels easily.
Supplies for infection control or isolation rooms are kept in an isolation cart. The isolation room is a place where patients suffering from infectious diseases are located so they can avoid contact with each other.
The use of smooth panels and seamless drawers on this type of hospital cart reduces the likelihood of infection transmission and promotes easy cleaning. Just like treatment carts, an isolation medication cart is built with specialized waste bins that seal to avoid spilling contents.
A bedside cart can be transported from one room to the next to assist nursing staff when attending to patients, i.e., cleaning wounds, dispensing drugs, feeding through tubes, etc.
Nurses save time by storing accessories and medications in this type of crash cart instead of having to go back and forth to the supply room. Treatments may also be logged using installed computing devices.
Patient recovery is greatly assisted by bedside carts. Medical supplies can be securely stored in them since they have locking drawers and wheels.
Surgical procedure carts have deep shelves that allow for storing large surgical instruments, endoscopes, and other equipment needed to maintain asepsis. Typically, they are built with tuck-away swing doors that completely open and securely lock in place. The drawers and trays can be easily accessed to help keep track of inventory levels and ensure prompt dispensing of tools.
Some designs feature the closed case cart style, providing extra workspace and contamination protection.
The use of medical carts has transformed the way modern health facilities operate and treat patients. By being mobile, they facilitate the transport of medical supplies and equipment between rooms safely and conveniently.
They contribute to the efficiency of processes and delivery of patient care, benefiting the hospital, staff, and patients.
Medical equipment carts allow doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals to spend more time with patients without worrying about running out of readily available medical supplies during an operation or an emergency.
Patients feel confident and hopeful that their situation is being handled professionally because they can communicate more with their carers.
Because of their portability, hospital carts enable medical staff to treat different patients without having to repeatedly detour to nurse stations or supply stations. They save both their patient's energy and time.
The majority of modern medical carts come with equipment and devices that allow doctors to conduct diagnostics in the patient's room. For example, some carry ultrasounds, allowing ease in the monitoring of a patient's vital signs.
Increasing process efficiency and improving patient recovery is among the leading benefits of medical carts in healthcare settings. Depending on the specialty they are built for, they differ in design and accessories.For whatever purpose they will serve you, opt for crash carts manufactured by a trusted supplier. DSI Direct has been in the industry for more than two decades. Call us today or send us an email to speak with our experienced professionals!
With 21 years of sales management, marketing, P&L responsibility, business development, national account, and channel management responsibilities under his belt, Ian has established himself as a high achiever across multiple business functions. Ian was part of a small team who started a new business unit for Stanley Black & Decker in Asia from Y10’ to Y14’. He lived in Shanghai, China for two years, then continued to commercialize and scale the business throughout the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions for another two years (4 years of International experience). Ian played college football at the University of Colorado from 96’ to 00’. His core skills sets include; drive, strong work ethic, team player, a builder mentality with high energy, motivator with the passion, purpose, and a track record to prove it.
