Hospitals have a wide range of unique needs. Doctors and nurses need specialized equipment for every division within the hospital, from the operating room to the ward. Traditional equipment doesn’t cut it in these situations. Hospitals need tools and equipment designed specifically for use in the hospital. Nowhere is this more easily seen than in a hospital’s computing needs.
Commercial computers that one may see in an office or warehouse may appear to be fine for the hospital. Websites and vendors may even tout these computers as perfect for the medical setting, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Hospitals and medical clinics need computers designed specifically for the medical setting for a number of reasons. Tangent’s Medical grade computers fit this bill, being created for hospitals while going above and beyond medical requirements.
What Are Medical Grade Computers?
Medical grade computers are designed for medical applications, but what does that mean exactly? Compared to traditional commercial computers, medical grade computers must meet a number of specifications. There are many companies that claim to have medical grade computers, but not every company follows the same guidelines.
There are no formal requirements for a computer to have the ‘medical grade’ qualification. This allows many companies to sell computers that meet only the bare minimum qualifications for the medical setting.
Not at Tangent.
Tangent medical grade computers meet all of the electronic medical equipment standards and then some. Each computer sold by Tangent meets UL 60601 certifications for electronic equipment. This ensures that medical grade computers from Tangent do not emit harmful electrical radiation that could potentially cause issues with other equipment.
Meeting HIPAA compliance standards is also a top priority for Tangent. Each of their computers are HIPAA compliant, meaning that they are ready to protect sensitive patient information. Tangent medical grade computers allow hospitals to have one less worry when it comes to protecting patient privacy.
These two qualities — meeting UL 60601 certifications and being HIPAA compliant — are commonplace for medical grade computers. But these two qualities are only the minimum that hospitals should look for when choosing new computers. In reality, medical grade computers should have many more features that help them in the hospital. To get a better sense of what these features should be, let’s take a look at the types and uses of computers.
Types Of Medical Grade Computers
Medical grade computers come in a number of varieties. Each of these varieties is designed not only for a specific purpose, but also to be adaptable to any situation. This allows Tangent’s computers to be used in many different situations that may come up in your hospital. As the pandemic has shown, hospitals need to be able to adapt quickly and efficiently to new circumstances.
- Medical Cart Medical Grade Computers: Medical carts equipped with computers are quickly becoming essential in the hospital. Crash carts carry supplies for emergencies, while other supply carts are used to transfer medication and other supplies easily throughout the hospital. Medical grade computers designed for these carts need to be built for mobility as well as usability.
But one of the biggest challenges in sourcing medical grade computers for carts is their effect on downtime. Medical grade computers typically rely on internal batteries for their power. This means that everyday, medical carts must be taken out of rotation and plugged in to charge. The result is that hospitals have far more medical carts than they need, while only getting to use a fraction of their fleet.
Medical grade computers like the E24B from Tangent solve this problem with their hot swap battery system. The E24B features two battery compartments, allowing for batteries to be swapped out with minimal interruption to uptime. Simply take charged batteries and swap them out one by one, then take the depleted batteries back to their charger. With this hot swap battery system, medical grade computers from Tangent can help your medical carts operate on a virtual 24/7 basis.
- Desktop Medical Grade Computers: The most common type of medical computer in your hospital is probably the one sitting on the desks of your staff. Doctors, nurses, clerks, medical assistants, and others all need dedicated workstations to keep on top of their tasks. Medical grade computers designed for desktop use need to be versatile, sleek, and most importantly, intuitive.
Desktop computers like the M24T are perfect for your medical staff’s workstations. The M24T features a wide, 24 inch screen that can display multiple medical programs at once. This widescreen is also touch-enable, allowing medical staff to use the M24T in much the same way as their own cell phone.
Doctors can use the M24T’s touch screen to get a closer look at Xrays, using pinching and pulling finger movements to manipulate the image. They can also use the touch screen to quickly and easily navigate through electronic medical records. This touchscreen is also fully washable, meaning that multiple staff can use the touch screen in one day with regular cleanings.
- Portable Medical Grade Computers: An often overlooked, but vital piece of the medical grade computer fabric is their portable versions. Portable computer tablets have been widely adopted by many industries as a fast and simple way to keep track of employees while also increasing productivity. Yet their adoption in the medical setting leaves something to be desired.
Instead of equipping your medical staff with archaic pager systems, try outfitting them with medical grade computer tablets like the T13. The T13 tablet is designed to be carried throughout the hospital. With a convenient handle and drop resistance, medical staff can carry the T13 anywhere.
The T13 doesn’t sacrifice power for portability, and can easily run numerous medical programs. It allows for doctors to access medical records from anywhere in the hospital. This means that doctors can get refamiliarized with a patient’s history while on the way to seeing them. Doctors can also respond to correspondence while on the move, as well as respond to emergencies. With portable medical grade computers, downtime becomes a thing of the past.
These are just a few categories that medical grade computers can fall into. But this doesn’t mean that these computers can only do these specialized tasks. Tangent medical computers are adaptable above all else. This level of customization allows for hospitals to rapidly adjust to new situations with ease.
Highly Customizable Medical Grade Computers
The medical setting is constantly shifting, and so are its needs. With highly customizable medical grade computers from Tangent, your hospital can meet these shifts head on.
Let’s say that your hospital is planning on upgrading its medical cart fleet with medical grade computers capable of operating on a near 24/7 basis. This can drastically improve your single cart efficiency, but may mean that you have an excess of carts. You’re not sure how many carts will be needed after this switch, but don’t want to over or under purchase on new computers.
With medical grade computers like the T24B from Tangent, these situations have an easy solution. The T24B features a standard VESA mounting system. This adaptable system allows the T24B to be mounted to desktop stands, mounted arms, and medical carts. With so many ways to make use of the T24B, your hospital can acquire enough medical grade computers for each medical cart without worrying that some will need to be returned.
Other situations may see your hospital need more RFID or barcode scanners. Whether it be for medication witnessing or human milk workflows, Tangent has medical grade computers that can help your staff meet goals and deadlines.
Antimicrobial Medical Grade Computers
One of the phrases that doctors live by is “do no harm.” Doctors must always prioritize their patient’s health, as well as be vigilant against potential mishaps. Shouldn’t their equipment also attempt to do no harm?
This may sound silly at first, but your hospital’s equipment can do real harm. Technology like computers and phones are littered with pathogens. These pathogens can potentially cause nosocomial infections throughout the hospital. With multiple medical assistants, nurses, and doctors sharing the same medical grade computer throughout the day, the chances of infection only increase.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Medical grade computers from Tangent feature an antimicrobial coating on their surfaces. This coating mitigates the growth of pathogens on the computer, allowing for a reduction in the amount of bacteria present in the hospital.
Medical grade computers featuring this antimicrobial coating can give your medical staff ease of mind while using them. Instead of worrying about potentially spreading disease throughout the hospital, doctors can focus on what’s actually important: their patients. In this way, your medical staff can be equipped with equipment that does its best to also do no harm.
Create A Better Hospital With Tangent
As hospitals emerge from this pandemic, they have a real opportunity to reorganize how they work. Hospitals can create an adaptive and new hospital system Instead of attempting to revert back to the beginning of 2020. Hospitals can, at the very least, take this opportunity to reevaluate their workflows and find solutions to enhance their productivity.
Hospitals can accomplish this with upgraded medical grade computers in the hands of their medical staff. Whether it be at their workstation, equipped to a medical cart, or in their hands while on the move, doctors and nurses can and will find ways to use their new medical grade computers to their advantage.
Don’t wait to improve your hospital. Create a better, more flexible hospital today for your medical staff and patients. Contact Tangent Sales today for more information on how updated medical grade computers can help your hospital emerge from this pandemic better than ever.