Reducing Hospital Readmission Rates

As hospitals around the country reopen to elective procedures, unresolved challenges must once again be grappled with. One of these challenges is the reduction of hospital readmission rates. Hospital readmission refers to the readmission of a patient less than 30 days after a procedure, normally due to complications. According to the American Institute of Research, nearly one in five patients experience readmission.

While the lowering of this number should be enough to have hospitals take this issue seriously, there are other factors that contribute to the severity of this problem needing to be resolved. Due to the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRRP), hospitals with an excess in hospital readmission rates may see their medicare payments significantly reduced.

With both the U.S. government taking this problem seriously and the sheer scope of the issue, it is more important than ever for hospitals to take the reduction of readmission rates seriously. Luckily, there is research showing that hospitals can take steps to reduce these rates, potentially saving patient’s time and money.

Reducing Hospital Readmission Rates

In a study titled, “Hospital Strategies Associated With 30-Day Readmission Rates for Patients With Heart Failure” researchers found a number of ways to help reduce readmission rates for patients. One of these methods was to ensure that patients had follow-up appointments before being discharged. By keeping careful track of a patient’s recovery on medical PCs, medical staff can know beforehand whether a patient can be discharged. Then, in a follow up appointment, medical staff can refer to information on their medical grade computer on the patient’s recovery and make the decision on whether or not to discharge them. Keeping a record of a patient’s recovery on a medical PC can ensure patients who would be readmitted will instead remain in care.

Handling Readmission

While reducing readmission rates should be the goal of any hospital, the study also found ways to help make readmission as smooth as possible. Part of their strategy is to create a plan for family members and caretakers to use in case a patient needs to be readmitted. In addition, linking inbound and outbound medical records also helped. By using a medical grade computer, doctors can create these game plans for family members and caretakers and securely transfer the files to them. In addition, doctors can use their medical grade computer to combine medical records and ensure that a readmitted patient receives the care they need.

Hospital Readmission Rates: Reduced With Medical PCs

Reducing hospital readmission rates is a crucial goal in healthcare, and medical PCs can help achieve it. Medical PCs are a type of medical grade computer, and help doctor’s keep track of patient’s records so that readmission is not necessary. When it is, medical PCs can help make the process easy and keep patients healthy. With a medical grade computer at your doctor’s side, there’s nothing they can’t accomplish.

Tangent is a leading supplier of medical grade computers. Sanitizable computers help prevent infections in hospitals.

With the country on the path towards reopening, hospitals have begun transitioning their facilities to accommodate regular appointments and patients. But will patients be willing to return to hospitals during this crisis? More patients than ever are seeing their doctors remotely via telemedicine technologies such as Medical All-In-One PCs. In addition, more Americans than ever are seeing trips to the hospital as risky. The question then becomes, how can hospitals create a welcoming environment for patients to want to return to?

Medical All-In-One PCs For Full Hospital Use

With the country on the path towards reopening, hospitals have begun transitioning their facilities to accommodate regular appointments and patients. But will patients be willing to return to hospitals during this crisis? More patients than ever are seeing their doctors remotely via telemedicine technologies such as Medical All-In-One PCs.  In addition, more Americans than ever are seeing trips to the hospital as risky. The question then becomes, how can hospitals create a welcoming environment for patients to want to return to?

Getting Patients Comfortable Again

Just a few months ago, hospitals were viewed as places where people would go to get healthier. It is possible to return the people’s viewpoint back to this by getting patients comfortable with the idea of going to the hospital again. While this is easier said than done, there are steps that hospitals can take to make patients more comfortable. Patients are already comfortable using medical all-in-one PCs and taking telemedicine away from them is not the answer. Instead, allowing patients to continue using telemedicine appointments will keep them comfortable and allow doctors and nurses to foster their patient relationships effectively. This can lead to patients ultimately returning to hospitals for elective procedures.

Explore Contactless Solutions

Even if not used in the home, telemedicine can play a part in healthcare. Allowing patients the option of seeing nurses via telemedicine on medical all-in-one PCs instead of in person before their doctor visits may help them feel safer. In addition, the use of a fully sanitizable touchscreen medical grade computer in a patient’s room can help them interact with their doctor in a safe, contactless way.

Utilize Technology To The Fullest

Above all, technology can help patients feel safe in the hospital after this crisis passes. With medical grade computers, patients can feel safe knowing that a fully antimicrobial enclosure is protecting their users. Both doctors and patients can use such medical grade computers to communicate in a social distant manner, all while staying safe.

Medical Grade Computers: Built For Comfort

Medical all-in-one PCs are a stepping stone in returning hospitals to a sense of normalcy across the country. With their fully sanitizable touchscreens and antimicrobial enclosures, they are safe and effective tools for healthcare reopening.

Tangent is a leading supplier of medical grade computers. Sanitizable computers help prevent infections in hospitals.

Before our current crisis, healthcare workers already had a high burnout rate due to stress. With 42% of physicians feeling burned out by their work. The current situation is only exacerbating this stress for many frontline healthcare workers. While there is no convenient way to eliminate the overbearing weight of the world's current situation, there are smaller issues that can be easily resolved.

Reducing Frontline Healthcare Worker’s Stress And Anxiety

This crisis has taken a toll on all of us, but frontline healthcare workers have taken the brunt of this crisis. The doctors, nurses, and medical staff protecting the public health are doing so at their own risk. It’s no wonder then why some frontline healthcare facilities are seeing depression symptom rates of 50%. Experts say that as many as 25% of frontline healthcare workers may experience disorders such as anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress, according to the LA Times. How can we help these frontline healthcare workers and reduce their mental health issues?

Eliminate Other Stressors

Before our current crisis, healthcare workers already had a high burnout rate due to stress. With 42% of physicians feeling burned out by their work. The current situation is only exacerbating this stress for many frontline healthcare workers. While there is no convenient way to eliminate the overbearing weight of the world’s current situation, there are smaller issues that can be easily resolved.

Stressors for healthcare workers come in many sizes and forms, but largely have to do with the inefficiency of the healthcare facility that many work in. 49% of physician time is not spent helping patients, but rather filling out tedious paperwork. Having an assistant fill out this paperwork on a medical PC may reduce the stress physicians feel from this time sink. With assistants on medical PCs, doctors can focus on treating patients instead of filling out forms.

Medix C19 From Tangent

Easy To Use Medical Computer From Tangent

Improve Your EHR System

Electronic Healthcare Records (EHR) have done wonders for improving the efficiency of hospitals. But with the wrong hardware, EHR systems can have the opposite effect. Ensuring that your hospital has the latest medical PCs can help reduce EHR related stress. Medical PCs from Tangent feature the latest components and are designed for medical use. Tangent’s line of medical PCs are santiziable computers. This means that these medical PCs can easily be cleaned with regular hospital cleaning supplies.

With touchscreens, navigating EHR software on a Tangent sanitizable computer is quick and easy. Sanitizable computers with touch screens enable frontline healthcare workers to quickly input patient information and retrieve it as well. What’s more, these sanitizable computers are UL60601-Certified and come with a 3.5 year warranty, ensuring that these medical PCs last throughout this crisis without breaking down.

Medical PCs: Help Eliminate Frontline Healthcare Worker Stress

There is no one solution to our world’s current crisis. But when it comes to frontline healthcare worker stress, Tangent medical PCs can help reduce it. Tangent’s line of fully sanitizable computers can ease medical worker’s stress around their job, and lead to a better workplace.

Tangent is a leading supplier of medical grade computers. Sanitizable computers help prevent infections in hospitals.

Washable Computers For Hospitals And Healthcare Facilities

Now more than ever, washing your hands is crucial to staying healthy. Touching a surface that someone else has touched without washing their hands is part of the infection process. However, making sure that the surface is regularly cleaned is an effective way of reducing the risk of this happening. To that end, Tangent has designed a line of washable computers that can be regularly cleaned to prevent the infection process from occurring.

Washable Computers: Prevent Disease Vectors

In the hospital setting, a medical computer is an indispensable tool to helping patients. However, the same medical computer that helps patients can also harm doctors and nurses. A medical computer can be used by several different people in one day, all of whom are interacting with countless other medical personnel and patients. This can cause a medical computer to quickly turn into a breeding ground for pathogens.

With washable computers, the risk of infections from medical computer use can be reduced. The CDC has confirmed that cleaning agents do work on infection causing viruses, making washable computers an effective tool for hospitals to potentially reduce the risk of infection.

How To Wash A Medical Computer

The CDC has released guidelines on how to clean surfaces such as washable computers. For surfaces in general, the CDC recommends wearing disposable gloves during the cleaning process and immediately throwing them away afterwards. For electronics such as a medical computer, the CDC recommends using alcohol-based wipes or sprays which meet a minimum 70% alcohol threshold.

Medical Computers
  Medical Grade Computer Being Washed

Washable computers should be washed as frequently as possible to reduce the risk of infection. Ideally, washable computers should be washed thoroughly after every new user. This ensures that no pathogens remain on the medical computer between uses.

More Than Sanitary

Washable computers aren’t just a way to potentially reduce the risk of infection, they are a vital medical tool. Washable computers like the M24T from Tangent are designed for healthcare use. This medical computer comes with a built in webcam and mic, making it perfect for use in telemedicine. With an advanced touchscreen and antimicrobial enclosure, the M24T can operate without a keyboard and mouse, saving money and reducing the amount of surfaces to be cleaned.

Tangent M24T Medical Computer
            Tangent M24T Medical Computer

Washable Computers: The Clean Way To Compute

Medical computers are vital tools to hospitals and the patients they serve on a daily basis. Choosing washable computers for your hospital’s medical computers can help reduce infection risks, and help in telemedicine efforts.

Tangent is a leading supplier of medical grade computers. Sanitizable computers help prevent infections in hospitals.

A medical computer can be used by multiple doctors, nurses, and medical personnel in a single day. With sanitizable computers, the risk of one of these medical staff unknowingly passing an infection to another is greatly reduced. Sanitizable computers from Tangent also come with antimicrobial enclosures, ensuring that infection chances remain low.

Sanitizable Computers For Nurses Stations

Now more than ever, hospitals and the doctors and nurses that work in them are crucial to our nation’s health. But our medical professionals are finding it hard to get the equipment they need to perform their job in a safe and effective manner. One of the best ways to ensure doctors and nurses have a safe working environment is to put sanitizable computers in their workstations.

Sanitizable Computers: Optimized For Nurse And Patient Safety

Sanitizable computers are a form of medical computer that can be wiped down regularly with cleaning products like germicidal wipes without damaging the medical computer. Sanitizable computers can play a key role in reducing infections by eliminating the amount of pathogens on one of the most commonly used surfaces in the hospital: medical computers.

medical grade PCs
KW Sanitizable Computer from Tangent

A medical computer can be used by multiple doctors, nurses, and medical personnel in a single day. With sanitizable computers, the risk of one of these medical staff unknowingly passing an infection to another is greatly reduced. Sanitizable computers from Tangent also come with antimicrobial enclosures, ensuring that infection chances remain low.

Sanitizable Computers For Nurses Stations

Nurses stations are vital to hospitals, providing nurses quick access to patient information, medical equipment, and most importantly their medical computer. When a nurses station’s medical computer is a sanitizable computer, their workflow becomes far safer. Sanitizable computers can be cleaned while still in use, allowing for an uninterrupted workflow.

Keeping your medical equipment working 24/7 is crucial to providing patients with the care they need during these times. In terms of medical equipment, the most versatile and useful may be medical grade computers. Medical grade computers, like the Medix M24T from Tangent, are designed from the ground up for medical use.
Fully Sanitizable Medical Computer

Not only are sanitizable computers for nurses stations clean and safe, but they are also digitally secure. Every medical computer by Tangent is Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant, allowing for smarter workflows while still meeting and exceeding legal standards.

 

Sanitizable Computers In Telemedicine

Tangent has always been a strong supporter of telemedicine efforts. The value of telemedicine is being fully seen now, as more non-essential appointments move to telemedicine. Each medical computer by Tangent that has a web camera is optimized for video calls. This means that both doctors and nurses can use a medical computer by Tangent for their telemedicine appointments.

Major players in the healthcare industry, both private and public, are preparing for telehealth. Telehealth with medical computers has proven to be an effective way of social distancing, and could potentially save lives. Make sure that your hospital takes advantage of all the programs available, and implements this crucial technology.
Telemedicine Is Easier Than Ever

It’s easier than ever to set up telemedicine on a medical computer, and many of the FCC guidelines have been relaxed. However, Tangent’s own guidelines have not, and our sanitizable computers remain HIPAA compliant for video calls. Patient safety, for both patient health and patient data, is a top priority and Tangent remains committed to protecting both.

Sanitizable Computers: The Safer Way To Work

Santizable computers are one of the safest ways for hospital staff to interact with a medical computer. From their easy-to-clean screens to their use in telemedicine, there is nothing that can’t be done safer and cleaner with a sanitizable computer from Tangent.

Tangent is a leading supplier of medical grade computers. Sanitizable computers help prevent infections in hospitals.

Keeping your medical equipment working 24/7 is crucial to providing patients with the care they need during these times. In terms of medical equipment, the most versatile and useful may be medical grade computers. Medical grade computers, like the Medix M24T from Tangent, are designed from the ground up for medical use.

Sanitizable Computers For 24/7 Use

While the current situation the world faces is unprecedented, the healthcare industry has stepped up to make sure that the world remains as safe as possible. Hospitals around the country have made due with limited supplies as supplies of PPE. Working around the clock, hospitals and healthcare workers have stepped up to the plate and are working 24/7 to test individuals and treat patients. With hospitals and healthcare workers working 24/7, shouldn’t the equipment they use also work 24/7?

Medical Grade Computers For 24/7 Use

Keeping your medical equipment working 24/7 is crucial to providing patients with the care they need during these times. In terms of medical equipment, the most versatile and useful may be medical grade computers. Medical grade computers, like the Medix M24T from Tangent, are designed from the ground up for medical use.

 

Medical PC
               Medical Grade 24″ Computer

Medical grade computers feature an antimicrobial enclosure which mitigates the growth of microbes on their surfaces. Furthermore, they make use of features like their uninterrupted battery storage (UPS) to operate even when hospitals do not have power. This allows medical grade computers to be fully usable in emergency situations.

Sanitizable Computers For 24/7 Use

Note every medical grade computer is made equal. The Medix T24B sanitizable computer from Tangent is unlike other medical grade computers in that it is a fully sanitizable computer. A Sanitizable computer is a medical grade computer that features an IP certified water resistant screen. The IP65 rating of the Medix T24B sanitizable computer allows it to be regularly cleaned with traditional cleaners and disinfectants without harming the medical grade computer.

Medix T24B
                             Medix T24B

Sanitizable computers are perfect for situations where multiple medical personnel are interacting with the same medical grade computer, as it can be constantly disinfected.

 

Hot-Swap Batteries: No Plug Required

While all of Tangent’s medical grade computers are designed to be used as fully as needed in the hospital, some are designed even past this point. As more pop-up clinics, mobile clinics, and field hospitals are set up, there may not be adequate power in these areas to support medical grade computer usage. However, with hot-swap battery technology, even areas without power can make use of medical grade computers and sanitizable computers.

Medix E22B From Tangent
                Medix E22B From Tangent

The Medix E22B sanitizable computer from Tangent features three hot-swap batteries, allowing it to run 24/7 without being plugged into an outlet. Simply have two batteries charging while one is in use, and this sanitizable computer can be fully utilized in a remote setting.

 

For 24/7 Use, Use Tangent

When sanitizable computers are needed to operate on a 24/7 basis, Tangent medical grade computers are the right pick. With hot-swap battery technology, IP rated water resistant screens, and UPS capabilities, medical grade computers from Tangent are here to help.

Tangent is a leading supplier of medical grade computers. Sanitizable computers help prevent infections in hospitals.

Major players in the healthcare industry, both private and public, are preparing for telehealth. Telehealth with medical computers has proven to be an effective way of social distancing, and could potentially save lives. Make sure that your hospital takes advantage of all the programs available, and implements this crucial technology.

Telehealth Computers: How to Effectively Set Up Your Hospital

In these times, it is becoming increasingly risky to have healthy patients enter hospitals where they can easily become disease vectors. Because of this, many hospitals are transitioning doctor visits to telehealth visits. Telehealth refers to medical computer based doctor visits, where a doctor uses a medical computer to video-chat with their patient. Telehealth has seen such a rise in the last few weeks that the industry is having trouble keeping up with demand, according to the Wall Street Journal.

With this in mind, it is more important than ever to have this critical technology implemented in your hospital as soon as possible. Like personal protective equipment, telehealth using medical computers is a preventive measure to ensure those in your community and hospital remain healthy.

Telehealth Is Easier Than Ever

One of the main obstacles for telehealth is the seemingly tough challenge of implementing the technology. Because of the amount of regulations regarding medical data, using video-chat has been clouded by a barrier of laws. However, the Department of Health and Human Services has temporarily lifted many of these restrictions.

Video services like Zoom, Facetime, and Skype have all been given temporary approval for use during these times. Many other medical specific services such as VSee, Doxy, thera-Link, and Amazon Chime are available as well. Many of these telehealth services can be downloaded directly onto HIPPA compliant, medical grade computers.

Inform Patients That Telehealth Costs May Be Waived By Their Insurance

You read that right, insurance companies like Aetna and Blue Cross Blue Shield have announced that they are suspending co-pays for telehealth appointments. Both of these insurance companies see the life-saving potential of telehealth appointments on medical computers.

As jobless claims in the United States surge, it is more important than ever to inform your service area of these telehealth services. Cost and fear of the current situation may prohibit patients from seeking help. Telehealth on medical computers can offer these patients a free and worry-free way to get the help they need.

Federal Funding For Telehealth Is On The Way

FCC chairman Ajit Pai announced a $200 million plan that if passed, would allocate money to healthcare facilities for implementing telehealth. If passed, this would greatly reduce the costs for hospitals to implement this life-saving technology. In addition, the plan calls assures those on government aided internet plans that they will not be cut off during these times. This means that those in the most need will have access to telehealth, so long as their local hospital does.

Everyone is Preparing For Telehealth, Are You?

Major players in the healthcare industry, both private and public, are preparing for telehealth. Telehealth with medical computers has proven to be an effective way of social distancing, and could potentially save lives. Make sure that your hospital takes advantage of all the programs available, and implements this crucial technology.

Tangent is a leading supplier of medical grade computers. Sanitizable computers help prevent infections in hospitals.

What Does "Medical Grade" Mean?

What Does “Medical Grade” Mean?

You may see the term “Medical Grade” floated along by many manufacturers these days in your search for proper medical equipment. Everyone, from dentist chair manufacturers to medical grade computer manufacturers, lays claim to the term, implying that their product meets the true definition. While there is no central body that organizes the term “Medical Grade” and assigns it accordingly, there are some key elements that hospital supply buyers should look out for in their medical purchases. Most notably, the term “Medical Grade” when applied to computers should be scrutinized. Your Medical Grade Computer purchases should meet the following criteria:

 

UL60601 Certified

It almost goes without saying that any medical computers you purchases should be UL60601 Certified, but it is still worth mentioning. Among other things, this certification ensures that any Medical Grade Computers purchased by your hospital meet safety standards set by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). The CDC has set these guidelines to ensure that electrical equipment, such as medical grade computers, does not interfere with other medical technology used in proximity to it.

 

Medical Grade Computers Should Be Antimicrobial

Aside from UL60601 certification, ensuring that every medical grade computer purchased for your hospital is antimicrobial is the most important aspect to the meaning of being medical grade. Antimicrobial medical grade computers feature an antimicrobial coating. This coating makes the medical grade computer impervious to bacteria and other pathogens, mitigating their growth on its surfaces. When a medical grade computer features antimicrobial properties, it is as if the medical grade computer is constantly sanitizing itself with antibacterial wipes. This feature is an absolute necessity in a time where hospital acquired infections are so prevalent.

 

Backup Battery Enabled

Hospitals are facilities designed to treat both common colds and emergencies. When the latter happens, the equipment your hospital uses will need to be depended upon. Ensuring that the medical grade computers your hospital relies on can, in fact, be relied on is key to preventing potentially dangerous conditions for your patients. Medical grade computers with either hot-swap battery technology or uninterrupted power supplies (UPS) prevent your hospital’s computer network from going out when the power does.

 

Medical Grade: Tangent Meets The Mark

“Medical Grade” is so much more than a term, it’s a commitment. Tangent has pioneered this commitment and designed medical grade computers that constantly push the idea of “Medical Grade” further and further. Each one of Tangent’s numerous Medical Grade Computers meets or exceeds the standards listed above. It is this commitment to the Medical Grade that makes Tangent the top innovator of medical grade computer technology.

Medical Grade Computers For Emergency Room Use

Medical Computers For Emergency Room Use

In 2016, U.S. emergency rooms treated 145.6 million Americans for their emergency conditions according to the Center for Disease Control. This number has been steadily rising since the 1990s, and can be expected to continue increasing with each passing year. With such a high demand for emergency services, it is important to keep your hospital’s emergency room as up to date as possible. With the latest medical computers at your physician’s side, emergency room wait times can drastically decrease and patients can get the life-saving care they need.

Medix E22B | E24B

E22B and E24B from Tangent: built for emergency room use
E22B and E24B from Tangent: built for emergency room use

The Medix line of medical computers from Tangent are some of the most valuable assets that an emergency room can contain. With a wide touchscreen, busy emergency room personnel can quickly input a patient’s data and get right to helping them. Unlike other computers, the Medix E22B does not quit. With hot-swap battery technology, the Medix E22B can be safely unplugged from a wall outlet and still operate normally. In an emergency situation, the last thing you want to be worrying about is how to transfer medical data around with a patient. The Meddix E22B allows doctors to unplug their medical computer and follow their patient with the same data they admitted them with.

Medix T24B

The T24B with Hot-Swap batteries for Emergency Room use
The T24B with Hot-Swap batteries for Emergency Room use

The Medix T24B from Tangent features the same hot-swap battery technology as the Medix E22b, also with three built in slots for batteries. This allows the Medix T24B to not only access the power of three batteries at once, but continuously run 24/7 without being plugged in. The Medix T24B is perfect for medical carts that are constantly in demand and cannot afford to be put out of commission for charging. With 6th generation Intel processors, this medical computer is as fast as it is reliable and can handle any medical program thrown at it.

Medix KW 15

Medical grade computer for emergency room us, the KW line from Tangent
Medical grade computer for emergency room use, the KW 15 from Tangent

As hospital emergency rooms become increasingly more crowded, every square inch of space will become ever more valuable. That’s why smaller medical computers such as the Medix KW 15 are a vital tool for any emergency room. While examination and surgery rooms can afford the luxury of a widescreen medical computer, the same may not be true for emergency rooms. The Medix KW 15 features all the power of a traditional medical computer but in a sleeker, smaller package. This allows doctors more space to treat patients, while still maintaining the computational power needed to do their job to the fullest. 

Reduce Emergency Room Times With Medical Computers

With emergency room wait times only expected to rise, the time to plan for a crowded emergency waiting room is now. Medical computers from Tangent can help reduce wait times, improve emergency room computing power, and help those truly in need of help.

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.