How To Get 10 Years Out Of Your Mobile Cart Investment

By Jerry Faiella, VP of Sales and Marketing, JACO, Inc.

The mobile computer cart market has become overrun with low-quality knock-offs that attempt to look and act as a durable EMR workstation, so choosing your mobile cart wisely is vital to realizing a long-term solution and a solid return on your investment.

Providing clinicians and IT professionals with a mobile cart that effectively addresses all of their specific needs is a formidable task. There are numerous features that must be carefully evaluated in selecting the proper workstation on wheels. In addition to a standard evaluation criterion, hard questions need to be asked of whether or not your investment will endure a demanding healthcare environment and perform many years beyond the initial deployment.

The following fundamentals will provide clear-cut directions on how to properly evaluate wireless computer stations to determine whether or not they'll be in it for the long haul.

Built To Last:
From a distance mobile carts often look very similar except for some slight color differences and unique curves and features, yet from up close they are often worlds apart in terms of quality and durability. Designing a mobile cart that's built to last involves engineering expertise and careful material selection. Carts made of lightweight metal will outlast and therefore outperform weaker plastic solutions. Just as it is with any instrument or device, superior construction starts with the core of the material it's fabricated from. Expect 2x to 3x longer life from a cart made of lightweight aluminum and steel, and expect plastic to wear out soon after deployment.

Powered For The Future:
We're going on two decades now of mobile computer cart use in health systems, hospitals, ambulatory and long-term care facilities and over the years there have been many missteps and miscalculations, none as big as battery power. In the early years of battery power inadequate electronics and unproven battery chemistry designs of sealed lead acid contaminated the market. Access This Content To Read This Article In Its Entirety.