With the rising cases of highly infectious diseases like Covid-19, hospitals have been forced to their levels of patient isolation and social distancing to prevent the spread of infections. As a result, medical supplies and equipment such as hospital isolation carts have become extremely important. Isolation carts are storage units used in isolation rooms. They store medical tools and protective items used by healthcare professionals when attending to isolated patients.
These isolation carts contribute immensely to maintaining a sterile environment, ensuring healthcare professionals have rapid access to essential medical supplies without causing further contamination. However, to get the benefits provided by isolation carts, you have to ensure they have all the necessary features. Continue reading to know the essential features of hospital isolation carts.
Features Of Hospital Isolation Carts
Wheels And Casters
For your medical staff to easily move through tight spaces, your isolation carts should have wheels and casters that offer multi-directional maneuverability. These wheels should also be strong enough to carry heavy loads. That way, you will be able to store as many items as possible in your cart without worrying about its mobility. In addition, the best hospital isolation carts have multi-surface casters designed to move freely on different types of floors.
Lightweight Construction
The best isolation carts are made from powder-coated aluminum or stainless steel for convenience. You should be able to easily move your carts around the isolation room even when they are fully loaded. These materials are also easy to clean and maintain. Remember that isolation carts should be sterilized regularly to curb the further spread of pathogens.
Drawers
To store enough medical supplies and tools in your isolation carts, they should have plenty of drawer space. A good isolation cart features multiple drawers that are deep enough to hold bulky medical equipment and outfits securely. This eliminates the need for your medical staff to make continuous trips to the central supply room for unexpectedly empty supplies. Also, the drawers should have reliable locks that allow you to safely store controlled substances. The most advanced isolation carts have drawers that lock electronically. Some even have passcodes and swiping cards to ensure that only the authorized personnel have access to the drawer.
Functional Works Space
A good isolation cart should have enough work surface to accommodate the medical tools needed in different situations. But the surface should also be narrow enough to allow easy maneuverability and storage of the cart. It is also vital for an isolation cart to be height-adjustable to reduce staff discomfort when working. The work surface should be easy to clean and disinfect.
Slim Design
Since space at medical facilities is always limited, you should choose isolation carts that help you to save space in your facility. Thankfully, most of the latest isolation carts have streamlined designs with a narrow but highly flexible wheelbase for easy storage. They also come with removable batteries that can be charged separately at charging stations to save space.
Adaptable Power Source
If your isolation cart is operated electronically, it requires a reliable source of power to enable your medical staff to continue working without disruptions. In the past, healthcare professionals had to exchange one cart with another fully charged cart to continue attending to patients. This was inconvenient and disruptive to the workflow of the medical staff. Fortunately, things have improved as most isolation carts now have removable batteries that can be charged separately.
They also feature patented flexible mobile cart power technology that consists of a simple battery pack design. The battery has a clear visual indicator to show you the remaining battery life so that you can recharge it to avoid disruptions.
In Summary
Isolation carts play an important role in preventing the spread of infectious diseases in hospitals. They provide healthcare professionals rapid and easy access to essential medical supplies and protective equipment when attending to patients with highly contagious diseases.
For your isolation carts to give you the best service, they need to have a smart design, multiple drawers with enough storage space, secure locks, adequate work surface, and strong wheels for maneuverability. They should also be lightweight and durable. Here at Waterloo, we offer all these features on all of our isolation carts.