How to Select a Suitable Medical Trolley?

With a VESA compatible mount and large surface this medical computer cart makes an efficient mobile workstation that can appeal to many businesses. The 4 lockable wheels allow this trolley to effortlessly move from room to room or lock in place as a stationary desk. Easily maneuver the height adjustable cart by pressing down on the foot pad to raise or lower the surface. Mobile workstations are often found in busy environments such as doctor’s offices, labs, and hospitals. Stow away documents or equipment into the locking drawer for safe keeping while you step away from the desk. Comfortably position a keyboard on the pull-out tray and set up your mouse on either side to accommodate left or right handed users. Wheel this computer cart into your office for an adjustable and ergonomic way to stay on top of your work load each day.

• Confirm your product information

Include: Product grade, price, weight, bottom size, installation connector, need adjust height or not. Base on upon information, you will basic know what’s kind of medical trolley could fit your products.

• Is there any standard for Medical cart? Especially safety standard?

Yes. IEC6060 is the Global Criteria for Medical Cart. Also the medical trolley standard for PRC.

PRC standard GB9706.15-2008/IEC60601-1-1-1:2000

Medical electrical equipment — Part 1-11: General requirements for basic safety and essential performance — Collateral standard: Requirements for medical electrical equipment

Basic Requirements:

– Pass 10°slope test

– Medical Trolley can’t move on 10° slope after locked brake

– Medical Trolley shall be RATED to support a load of at least 4 times its normal load.

• Should we choose electric adjustment?

It’s a good choice for electric adjustment. There are, of course, pros and cons to electric adjustment. You will have a big trouble if it’s power off.

In hospital, the most safety adjust way for Medical Cart is Mechanical adjustment.

If it’s easy to use a mechanical adjustment medical trolley, electric adjustment is completely unnecessary.

But there are some special conditions may need electric adjustment, like ophthalmic equipment, it’s need accurate height adjustment. In some conditions, need tele control.

• What’s kind of desktop design is best for Medical trolley?

If you need open desktop frequently, it’s better to use a desktop with drawer than with lid. This is not normally recommended to use a medical trolley desktop with lid, otherwise there will be a gaps, it’s hard to clean if there is bacteria and besmirch. In another side, it’s not a good idea to put important things under desktop with lid, especially electronic products, it’s easy to broken down when liquid leaks.

So, desktop without any gaps is the best choice for medical trolley.

• What’s kind of material is best for medical trolley desktop?

Aluminum Alloy: this kind of desktop is very stable, but it’s always with poor appearance. This is mainly used for inner structure of medical trolley desktop.

Surface treatment: Spray the powder or sand blasting and oxidation

Stainless steel: More stable than aluminum alloy, but also with poor appearance. Mainly used for inner structure for medical trolley.

Surface treatment: wiredrawing or sand blasting.

ABS: The most common engineering plastics in market.

Advantage: hard, dense, lower price

Disadvantage: heavy, easy to broken.

Surface treatment: It’s could match color by plastic if use high quality mold. Also could choose specular or grain for desktop. The advantage of it is the color will not change for a long time. But if use poor mold, 3D printing or sculpture desktop, there always has flaw on desktop. Normally need spray lacquer, if paint falls off, the appearance can be severely damaged. It’s could use a blade on the desktop gently scrape, if it’s painted, there will be other color appeared.

ABS+PC: Light, heat-resistant, wear-resistant, tough and so on. Better than ABS.

Surface treatment: same as ABS, but it’s better to use material original color.

• Is there any space for wiring groove?

Normally medical trolley need put computer, monitor, printer, scanner gun and so on. At least need space for 5pcs cables.

• Is keyboard holder could positioning or not?

It’s not only a keyboard holder for medical cart, but also a small desk for users. User may put their hand or body on the keyboard holder, that means a keyboard holder for medical cart shall be RATED to support a load of at least 30kg. But in order to save cost, most medical cart keyboard holder in market, only use ball bearing, it’s couldn’t support 30kg and easy to broken.

In another side, when choose ball bearing keyboard holder , it’s hard to positioning, very easy to move back and forth and then influence use keyboard.

• Is the trolley base heavy enough?

The weight and design of the base determine the stability and safety of the whole cart.If the base is too light and small, the cart will dump easily. Medical carts need to be met on a 10 degree slope, and after all loads are added, they cannot be dumped at any angle.

As a result, a well-designed carts often use metal structures at the bottom and even add an extra 5-10kg of weight to keep them safe. And the low cost cart, often whole base only use the plastic structure, has the huge safety risk.

• How to choose the color of medical cart?

Medical cart is a kind of accessory for medical equipment, the main use of it should be support the equipment. Therefore, the color of the cart is suggested to use grey, white and other quietly elegant colors. It’s shall be highlight the characteristics of medical equipment and not to steal the show.

• Which space on medical cart could be place battery?

In order to beauty factor, some customer like hiding battery in bottom base or inside desktop. But in developed countries, like USA, Germany, most of batteries are outside the medical cart that’s doctors will be very easy to check the battery at any time.

There is a risk for battery explode or heating. Even Samsung, Apple, Tesla will have battery explosion, let along less use medical trolley battery. Put battery outside medical cart, if there is any problem, doctor will find it fist time then losses reduced.

• Is the wheel bigger or smaller?

Big wheels are easy to pass cables and small steps, and also looks better than small wheels.

However, too large casters will cause the cart center to be high and easy to dump. So you need to choose the big casters under safe conditions.

• Does the medical cart have intellectual property?

With the emphasis on intellectual property in China, the risk and cost of product infringement are higher and higher. Especially for medical equipment manufacturers, if the carts and products need to be exported to the United States, Europe and other countries, more attention should be paid to intellectual property, to know whether the manufacturer has its own design, patents, and whether it has copied existing patents.

• Which parts of the cart are vulnerable?

The gas springs and wheels are the most important core parts of medical cart, and the service life of medical cart will be greatly shortened due to long-term moving wear. Low-grade products tend to go to suppliers without a brand. If possible, check with the cart vendor before start cooperation. Properly designed medical cart, generally no other parts will be damaged, regular manufacturer warranty at least 2 years. The warranty period of the manufacturer that chooses high quality core parts is 5 years or 10 years.

• What is a medical cart with lift function?

A medical cart with lifting function is a very vague concept.

More specifically, there is 5 different choices

-Adjust height by loose screws, normally need engineer.

-Adjust height by a handle screw

-Adjust height by gas spring with hard

-Adjust height by a appropriate gas spring with tiny force

-Adjust height by electric

• Which height adjust way is better for medical trolley? Controlled by hand or by foot?

The most professional medical trolley manufacture in Euro American use foot control. The key reason is the doctors must keep their hands clean all time. If the medical trolley controlled by hand, the bacteria on trolley is very easy to infect doctor’s hand. If the trolley not in Medical use, there is no limit to use hand control.