When you visit a hospital, either as a patient or due to your career, you may often notice the variety of different tools and equipment being used. One item that could be overlooked might be the simple cart. Rather than viewing it as a table, or portable cabinet, you may instead want to give some thought to the variety of uses these can have. In fact, much of a medical professional’s day could very well be spent relying on that cart.
There are different carts in a hospital. When an operation is about to take place, the medical team may need to anesthetize their patient. For this to take place, a number of tools and medications are required. For the most part, this could account for what is in an anesthetic cart. Many professionals may take a minimalist approach to their anesthetic cart, storing only the essentials. Should you require another dose of anesthetic throughout the operation, this will allow them to find it quickly and easily. Knowing that the team has all the items to hand, which can be found without needing to hunt, could give you quite a lot of peace of mind, especially when knowing that you would not be conscious at this point.
Another potentially vital cart within a hospital’s walls can be the crash cart. While the majority of people might hope to never be on the end of a code blue, or be that close to death, the crash cart is what could save your life. This might include a defibrillator, which the team would have been educated on how to use, as well as tools for suction and opening the airways. This might be used in conjunction with another cart, especially during a serious medical procedure. An emergency cart could also be used upon a patient’s arrival to the hospital, especially if the patient is currently unresponsive.
While there may be a number of standards that should be followed in terms of hygiene and patient care, there might also be regulations surrounding how storage rooms are used. While these may contain unused beds and other equipment, some storage rooms may also contain carts used to keep medication, needles, and syringes safe and secure while not in use.
It could be that these carts are fixed and that the medical team must physically go and remove only the items they need. Alternatively, while a storage room might house a cart, it could also be mobile. These may be the ones that are often seen on wards, or traversing patients’ private rooms, to undertake check-ups and administer medication.
Although the carts may not seem that important to the naked eye, when you think about all of the roles they undertake and facilitate, it quickly becomes apparent just how necessary every different cart is. Medical professionals should have, during their training, been given in-depth information regarding the use, labeling, and safety precautions to take with each different cart, allowing you to receive any care you need.
