Medical

If there is one thing that we have learnt during the coronavirus pandemic, it is the demand for necessary equipment on the frontlines.

Most people would presume that the most critical resources are PPEs, testing kits and ventilators. But while that is true, there are other, less recognised assets that are still vital for the situation faced by hospitals and clinics around the world. Take the transfer stretcher as an example.

Now, to understand this stretcher’s importance, one must first look to the importance of flattening the curve. It is based on one difficult truth: no healthcare system, no matter how advanced, has infinite resources. And it must be stressed, resources are not just limited to the most important tools.

Beds are finite. The same goes for thermometers. Sterilisers can only clean so many tools in a given cycle. So obviously, stretchers are not far from the picture.

In fact, they’re right in the thick of it as hospitals worldwide are stretched to their limits due to the pandemic. Still, they remain another particular asset that not many people look twice at despite proving vital in the midst of this growing turmoil.

This can prove dangerous, as it risks turning tools like transfer stretchers into a logistical afterthought. Just consider the following features that modern stretchers possess, and what they do for a hospital straining from a Coronavirus outbreak.

1. Quick Side Rail Installation

As a hospital is in the midst of admitting, treating and even releasing patients who have recovered Covid-19, there will be a large volume of traffic as people are frequently transferred throughout the course of their confinement and treatment.

Hence, that is why modern transfer stretchers are often built with side rail installation systems that are quick to work with. This allows nurses to move patients faster, with less undue discomfort on the patients’ part.

2. Ergonomic Controls

There’s a reason why today’s stretchers have virtually the same set of controls in equidistant parts. This is part of ergonomic design, a means to allow handling of the stretcher without additional movement or stress on the part of the practitioner.

And in some cases, it can also speed up procedures like X-rays as these same controls allow quick Trendelenburg positioning. In an urgent hospital situation where every second counts, such controls can mean a great difference in wait times.

3. X-Ray Translucent Mattress

Speaking of which, chest x-rays are playing an active role in the diagnosis of COVID-19. That means it’s no surprise that x-ray translucent mattresses go a long way to help with the demand. Having this as a feature of a transfer stretcher means a patient can be rolled up for an x-ray and still expect a clear image as a result.

This too plays an important role in streamlining the process of COVID-19 treatment. Diagnosis has proven to be among the biggest challenges posed by the novel coronavirus. Anything that can speed up testing will lead to more treatment, and therefore less risks of hospitals going over capacity.

Take note, these only describe how these features work in the context of a busy hospital. You can still take it further and imagine how these stretchers are also important when frontliners are taking ambulances outside. It just goes to show that one should not underestimate the true number of necessary resources to combat the current pandemic.

Remote patient monitoring devices and technologies have been used in healthcare for quite some time. But in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the adoption of these digital tools has proceeded at a more urgent pace.

Clinics and other practices should not fall behind. It is being shown that, despite the challenges in adoption, they have done a lot of work reducing the load of hospitals that are struggling to provide care in the most affected countries. Remote patient monitoring tools can mean less people crowding the emergency room, more data for the experts to study and an overall better response to the crisis.

A clinic that reduces its workload in a similar way will certainly be more helpful in the current situation. And at bare minimum, reducing the number of people visiting during such time will also reduce the chances of the coronavirus spreading further.

Of course, some might think that this is easier said than done. The platforms and devices necessary for more remote patient monitoring may appear too costly for the average practice.

Hence, it’s important to plan this out one step at a time with the focus on being able to monitor patients without the need for too many visits unless serious intervention is required. Here are a couple of suggestions.

1. Start with any current mobile options.

Say, for example, you’re a veterinary clinic. You might have patient monitors that are already small enough and portable enough to allow quick patient setup no matter what the location.

Such patient monitors already come built in with tools to record and export data. And more often than not, the other devices they will need for monitoring are equally portable.

What if you simply extended your operations by having staff provide care remotely in a given area? Popup medical facilities and field hospitals are certainly becoming a common response to COVID-19. It is only a matter of time before smaller practices and clinics follow suit in order to continue providing essential care.

2. Improve online communication.

It is important to remember that patient monitoring isn’t just defined by gadgets and software, but by communication and exchange of information.

Because even without any infrastructure, organisations continue to use things like email, web chat and video conferences to keep everyone up to speed. It may not be efficient but it is better if professionals at least get accustomed to engaging with patients outside of the clinic setting.

And if anything else, it can help self-quarantined patients from adding onto the problem by giving them one less reason to leave their homes.

Overall, despite the reality of growing COVID-19 cases, it doesn’t help when the greater number of the population pushes their local emergency rooms beyond capacity out of mass panic. Technologies like remote patient monitoring might prove pivotal to the ability of healthcare professionals to also flatten the curve. It can help patient lists become more manageable, reduce the risk of spread and free up more resources for those who are in more dire need during this difficult period.

When equipping a clinic for phlebotomy, what is the number one quality to look for when it comes to the chairs patients will sit in?

Most people would think strength, and probably sanitation features. After all, it needs to support the weight of various patients in a given day and be clean enough to avoid exposure to all sorts of pathogens that could be flying about.

However, that hardly scratches the surface. In fact, your primary concern comes from an unlikely source: The human mind.

Many often overlook the impact of psychological stress in the context of a clinic. This applies to stress both from the perspective of practitioners and patients. A practitioner has a number of patients to attend to (especially in incredibly taxing environments such as the emergency room, or even during a pandemic). Meanwhile, every patient will be experiencing anxiety over their impending blood test for a number of reasons.

A blood sampling chair can play a pivotal role in reducing the impact of stress and ensure extraction goes smoothly. Here are just some of the few ways this is done.

1. A Sense of Safety

Phlebotomy is an invasive process and a lot of anxiety in patients comes from that one fact. It is not always a fear of needles. The idea of getting pricked creates a sense of vulnerability, and it triggers age-old mechanisms in the brain to have the body brace or protect itself.

That is why a chair that is sturdy will be a great help because it provides a sense of safety. The feeling of vulnerability is dampened by the feeling of being secured in your seat, without the extra anxiety of further harm.

This requires a chair to be strong enough to support varying weights, and have the endurance to keep holding up those weights over the years.

2. Movement and Accessibility

If you have heard of ergonomics before, then you should know that movement and accessibility best describe it as a feature. Tools described as ‘ergonomic’ provide medical professionals  an equal amount of comfort when they are working on the procedure.

That means the blood sampling chair must have a way to let them navigate around a patient as efficiently as possible. In fact, even something as simple as a swiveling base can go a long way to reducing the strain that daily blood sampling work takes upon doctors and nurses.

3. Relaxed Posture

Lastly, while sturdiness is important, the chair must also be comfortable enough for a patient to relax. After all, patients need to keep breathing and avoid tensing up during the procedure lest they risk serious damage to the veins being used during the process.

Obviously, this is why armrests are now a common feature in a blood sampling chair. Their position (as well as their softness) allow patients to position themselves for the procedure without being too stressed out about sitting up straight. Some chairs are also adjustable, allowing practitioners to further suit the comfort of their patients.

To summarise it all, don’t just look at a phlebotomy chair and test to see how much it can hold. It is important to also know the impact of mental stress experienced both before and after a patient takes a seat.

The last twenty years has definitely seen the world become increasingly defined by smarter, more advanced computer technology. The field of healthcare is no exception. Many people are likely to see a keyboard and a digital screen at their local dentist as much as the usual chair and tools.

However, these very same hi-tech upgrades can now also be hazardous liabilities in light of the COVID-19 pandemic gripping the world. In fact, now is the most important time for practitioners to consider if their computer equipment is meeting the highest standards for decontamination.

The keyboards you use may be very well the biggest indicator.

The reasons for this are pretty evident, even from a layman’s perspective. Keyboards are exposed heavily to hand contact and Coronaviruses are commonly transmitted through hands. That makes them a huge risk, especially in settings like hospitals where a single keyboard could have multiple people making contact with them in any given day.

Some might think that the solution is in regularly disinfecting keyboards. Unfortunately, the very design of your average keyboard makes it impractical. And on that same note, this same design is the reason why medical keyboards had been made.

Here are just some of the features they have that make a critical difference.

1. Glass/Silicone Surface

Contrary to what some might think, the sleek look of a medical-grade keyboard is not just for show. Regular ones already take an atrocious amount of time to clean up because they tend to be stockier, come with many moving parts and will be damaged because of liquids (including disinfectants).

In contrast, medical keyboards come with smooth surfaces thanks to glass or silicone. This allows both for easy cleaning as well as preventing the keys themselves from accidentally being damaged from any wiping motion.

2. IP68 Ratings

An IP rating is short for Ingress Protection rating. This is actually an international standard that certifies an electronic device’s capability to prevent dust from getting inside it as well as water. The two digits represent a device’s rank in both areas, and 68 is the highest any device can get.

Naturally, that means it is a standard to expect from a medical keyboard. As mentioned above, preventing water from getting inside is important to ensure that a keyboard can be disinfected while being regularly used. Meanwhile, preventing dust also means there are lesser hidden spaces and corners for viruses to cluster and hide beyond the reach of cleaning.

3. Wirelessness and Mobility

Lastly, medical keyboards must obviously have a wireless feature. This is not just for mere hi-tech convenience. The current crisis has led to a rising number of medical professionals being called to the frontlines (in a recent development in the U.K., even dentists have just been tapped for support).

That means a lot of them will be on the move and wireless keyboards can help with that mobility. Asides from that, the absence of wires also means less surfaces for dirt and viruses to latch onto and further reducing risks of spreading COVID-19. (That said, it is highly recommended that the keyboard also has long battery life for this.)

Truth be told, a lot of these features had always been present in medical keyboard design before this pandemic. Still, the reasons for why they have them is not always common knowledge (or worse, taken for granted). Being aware of these standards can serve as an important reminder for any practitioner who could make a grave mistake using a keyboard in an environment it is extremely unqualified for.