Medical Grade Computer Monitor: What is the Meaning?

It may be surprising to hear, but calling a monitor “medical grade” isn’t just a marketing tactic. To be a medical monitor, the medical monitor must meet certain legal criteria that allows for the use of the term. These criteria, such as EN/IEC 60601-1 compliance, help keep both patients and doctors safe from workplace hazards. Other features are not legally required, but help maintain a safe and productive work environment in your hospital. These features range from bacteria resistance to touchscreen support, and provide medical personnel with quality of life improvements not found in commercial monitors. Medical monitors are designed specifically for use in the hospital, and their compliance with legal standards and catalogue of features help make them the best choice for hospitals. 

 

Safety Standards

In order to be sold as a medical monitor, a medical monitor must be compliant with the EN/IEC 60601-1 standard from the National Fire Protection Association Health Care Facilities Code (NFPA 99). The IEC 60601-1 standards are used widely across the globe to create electronics that are safe for use in the medical setting. The EN 60601-1 standards are extremely similar to their IEC counterparts, and function as north america’s variant of the code. These safety standards include rules that limit the amount of electrical leakage from medical monitors to 100 microamps, making them safe for use around patients. 

 

Alongside EN/IEC 60601-1 standards, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has its own set of regulations that govern medical monitors. Under 510(k) regulations, medical monitors must be demonstrated to be as effective and safe as a medical monitor that is currently on the market. This set of regulations ensures that ineffective or otherwise low quality monitors are not available on the market as medical monitors, saving hospitals from potentially buying fraudulent medical monitors and harming patients in the process. Some commercial monitors are able to meet these standards, but they are not explicitly designed to do so and may not be as effective as a stand-in medical monitor over time. Commercial grade monitors also do not feature image accuracy software, which is critical for making diagnoses and in the surgery room.

 

Higher Image Accuracy

In the medical setting, computer monitors are not only used for displaying web pages and spreadsheets, but also for showing x-ray images and other diagnostic images. Having these images displayed as accurately as possible is critical to making accurate diagnoses and decisions for care. Experts are still debating on how many colors exactly the human eye can discern, but current estimates put the number around ten million. Tangent’s lineup of medical monitors can display 16.7 million colors, 50% more than is assumed we can currently see. So why have this many colors then? Having this range of color output options allows for greater accuracy matching an image’s true color makeup as the eye would normally see it as if it were printed out. This allows doctors and medical staff to make precise decisions when looking at images and have confidence in their judgement.

 

Most commercial monitors can meet this range of color output, however they do not possess the necessary control system to fully utilize it. Traditional commercial monitors have a manual color control system attached to their monitor normally labeled “brightness control.” While this manual system works fine for home and commercial use, it fails to be useful in the medical setting. Luminance levels vary depending on how long a monitor has been in use, with large shifts occurring from startup to being fully warmed up. If a commercial monitor were to be used in lieu of a medical monitor, one would have to manually adjust the brightness control constantly to maintain image accuracy, all without having a reference point. This would be like tuning a guitar string without knowing what note it is supposed to correspond to.

 

To avoid the discoloration associated with the variance of luminance levels across time, medical monitors today feature Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standards support. Medical monitors that utilize DICOM standards feature technology built into the monitor that actively changes luminance levels to best represent the image on screen as accurately as possible. This automated brightness control system is critical to the medical setting, as it allows for medical monitors to be used with confidence that they are displaying images accurately.

 

Bacteria and Disease Resistance

Diseases contracted in the medical setting, often referred to as nosocomial infections, are a massive concern for hospitals across the country. Not only are such infections a liability for the hospital, but they also go against the purpose of institutions designed to make people healthier. Limiting the spread of nosocomial diseases like MSRA superbugs is critical to hospitals, and therefore critical to medical monitor providers. Tangent’s medical monitors are designed with nosocomial infections in mind and are built to help combat these diseases. 

 

Tangent’s medical monitors feature an antimicrobial additive that is coated onto the monitor’s enclosure directly. This antimicrobial additive helps mitigate the growth of bacteria on the medical monitor’s surface, and thus prevents diseases from forming on the monitor. This is especially useful to Tangent’s medical monitors specifically, as they are fully touch screen enabled. This allows both doctors and nurses to quickly scan medical charts with their fingers without worrying about how many hands have touched the monitor that day. The medical monitors are also IP65 rated water resistant, meaning that it can be easily cleaned with normal cleaning products. The antimicrobial additive is waterproof as well, and will not come off with regular cleaning, making the entire medical monitor safe for regular cleaning. 

 

Medical Monitors: The Safe Choice

Not only do medical monitors meet the legal standards to be sold as medical monitors, they utilize vital features that make them ideal for the medical setting. Using medical monitors in your hospital ensures that patients and doctors are not experiencing abnormal levels of electrical leakage. They also perform critical image accuracy procedures to produce precise pictures on screen for diagnosis. Being touchscreen enabled, medical monitors’ antimicrobial enclosures are critical to helping prevent nosocomial infections. When it comes to the medical setting, it’s clear that medical monitors are necessary tool for safe and accurate computer usage.

 

Medical All-In-One PCs

Tangent’s medical all-in-one PCs are built for 24/7 use in the hospital setting. Our line of medical all-in-one PCs are highly customizable to fit your workplace needs, and are designed with physician and patient safety and hygiene in mind.

Tangent Medix T24B
Tangent Medix T24B

 

IP65 Sealed and Protected

Tangent’s medical all-in-one PCs like the Medix T24B are IP65 certified water resistant. This allows the surface of the medical all-in-one PC to be easily cleaned without worry about damage. This sealing also prevents harmful bacteria growth in the cracks between the casing and screen, reducing the risk of interhospital disease spread. 

 

Medix C24
Medix C24

 

Long Lifecycle

Every medical all-in-one PC built by Tangent is designed to perform as efficiently as possible for as long as possible. The Medix C24 is a medical all-in-one PC that greatly exemplifies this, featuring a future-proof Intel I7 processor and up to 32 gigabytes of RAM. The requirements of a medical all-in-one PC vary from room to room, but with Tangent computers you won’t have to worry about being unable to run the latest healthcare programs. When expansion is needed, our medical all-in-one PCs feature PCIE expansion slots as well as multiple I/O slots to ensure that they are able to be used well into the future.

 

Medix E22B
Medix E22B

 

Medically Certified

Every medical all-in-one PC used in healthcare is required to meet UL/EN 60601 standards for electrical safety. Every medical PC created by Tangent meets these standards, and are guaranteed to be safe for use around patients and sensitive medical equipment. This enables medical all-in-one PCs like the Medix E22B to take full advantage of its hot-swap battery technology and be used on a constant basis without worry for physician’s or patient’s safety.

 

 

Tangent Medix T22B
Tangent Medix T22B

 Antimicrobial Enclosure

Mitigating the spread of diseases in hospitals is not only a top priority for hospitals themselves, but for Tangent as well. We strive to create medical all-in-one PCs that are as safe as possible, which is why every medical all-in-one PC we make features an antimicrobial enclosure. These enclosures inhibit the growth of dangerous diseases such as MRSA on their surfaces, allowing PCs like the Medix T22B to be safely used by multiple medical staff in the same day.

 

 

Medix KW Series
Medix KW Series

 

Front Facing Camera

Patient care is a constantly changing challenge, but with medical computers like the Medix KW Series, you can be one step ahead of the game. These medical all-in-one PCs feature front facing cameras, allowing doctors to “visit” with patients in recovery without having to trek across the entire hospital. These cameras also allow doctors to communicate over chat services, attend virtual meetings, and even take pictures of injuries for later examination. The possibilities of this feature are truly endless, and ensure that your hospital stays ahead of the curve.

 

 

 

Panel PCs: Tangent’s Product Line

Powerful Medical Panel PCs to Meet Your Needs

Tangent’s lineup of Medical Panel PCs are designed to exceed the need of the hospital setting. All of our Medical Panel PCs are UL/cUL 60601-1 and IEC 60601-1 Certified, run industry standard EMR software, and feature widescreen displays. Our Medical Panel PCs have a fanless design, making them resistant to dust build up and keeping IT maintenance down. With flexible mounting options, there’s a PC from Tangent that can fit in virtually every space.These features make Tangent Medical Panel PCs the ideal panel PCs for any job in the hospital.

 

pc-banner-unit

Dual Factor Authentication

While not legally required, dual factor authentication is fast becoming the standard for data security across multiple sectors, including medical. Having dual factor authentication on your devices ensures that only verified personnel are looking private information such as patient records. That’s why Medical Panel PCs like the Medix T22B can be equipped with both a smartcard reader and RFID module. These modules can be built into the computer, allowing for easy access to medical staff and saving IT from having to keep track of third party dongles.

 

Tangent Medix T22B
Tangent Medix T22B

Fanless: Quieter, Healthier

 

No one likes working in a noisy environment, and computer fans can quickly turn a silent room into an obnoxious one. Even worse for hospitals, computer fans turn medical computers into dust repositories that can trap harmful bacteria and promote Nosocomial infections. Tangent Medical Panel PCs like the Medix KW Line are fanless, sporting passive cooling systems that are quieter and healthier than traditional fan cooling systems. Having fanless medical PCs inhibits dust build up, promotes sanitary environments, and helps doctors focus on their patients and not on the rattling of their PC.

 

Medix KW Series
Medix KW Series

Webcams and Microphones

 

Everyone’s smartphones these days have front facing cameras that allow them to interact with family, coworkers, and friends as thought they were face to face. Medical Panel PCs like the Medix E22B are equipped with a powerful front facing camera and microphone, allowing for doctors to communicate with their patients in recovery in a friendly and personable manner. These webcams can also be used by doctors to attend virtual meetings, take pictures for later study, and even by patients to communicate with loved ones while in the hospital. The fanless design of Tangent Medical Panel PCs comes into play here, making sure that video calls don’t have a loud humming constantly chugging away in the background. 

 

Medix E22B
Medix E22B

Waterproof, Germ Proof, and Everything in Between

Tangent’s lineup of fanless Medical Panel PCs are IP rated to be water resistant, allowing for them to be easily cleaned without worry of damage. They also feature antimicrobial enclosures, which inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria across the enclosure of the PC and help keep infection rates down. Every one of our Medical Panel PCs are UL/cUL 60601-1 and IEC 60601-1 certified, and ready to be used near patients without worry.