The Practical and Financial Benefits of Hot Swappable Battery Medical Computers

Change your batteries, change the game

Workforce burnout is a huge problem in the healthcare industry. According to a 2019 physician burnout survey, 54% of physicians who report burnout closely attribute it to either excessive reporting or issues with EHR software logins, both things that are closely tied to the hardware used to help physicians perform their jobs. As such, taking a look at the medical computer systems physicians use to navigate these burnout-causing tasks can help give us some insight into bypassing the common issues of healthcare staff. One piece of tech that goes a long way to eliminating the monotony that leads to burnout is medical computers with hot swappable batteries.

What is a Hot Swappable Battery?

The term “hot swappable” is used to designate any component or peripheral removed from a computer (and theoretically swapped out) without causing damage or affecting performance. A hot swappable battery can then be changed and replaced without powering down the machine drawing energy from that battery because multiple batteries power the device. When one is removed to be charged or replaced, the second or third battery sill inside the machine can keep it powered on, allowing for continuous operation.

Hot Swappable Battery Use Cases

Below are only a few ways these batteries address common burnout causes and optimize care across several care professions.

Nursing

A typical workday for a nurse lasts an average of 12 hours. A traditional workstation on wheels might give you 6 hours of uptime before the cart must be plugged in to recharge for 4-6 hours, meaning these WoWs are essentially dead weight for nearly half of a typical shift.

Heavy carts often lead to injury. At least 50% of nurses comment that they have at least at one point in time experienced debilitating back pain due to their job. By having the computer itself provide its power through internal batteries, nursing staff can use computer carts that aren’t loaded down with cumbersome power sources. Doing so can save nurses from experiencing common injuries such as back pain, muscle strain, and torn ligaments – all health issues.

And a hot-swap computer can offer close to triple the battery life, or even 24/7 operation if the hot swap technology is utilized.

Operating Rooms

According to a survey by BMC Anesthesiology, hardware issues remain one of the top 5 common OR pain points, with 25% citing cluttered cables and another 20% citing the weight of their monitoring devices and their lack of maneuverability. Hot swappable batteries address both of these concerns. They lighten the weight of COWs by cutting the need for heavy battery-powered carts. They also eliminate the need for power cables connecting to an outlet.

Telehealth

Telehealth applications boomed in 2020. While this has undoubtedly enhanced the availability of care, attention still needs to be placed on the privacy of these conversations over phone calls. These conversations are filled with personal details, and patient-doctor-confidentiality must be maintained.

It’s here where we see the mobility afforded by hot swappable batteries come into play again. Nurses, clinicians, doctors, and surgeons can wheel lightweight WOWs into secluded rooms or telehealth appointment offices to have these private conversations with their patients.

Furthermore, several peripheral devices often require their own power sources to create an excellent remote patient monitoring program. A hot swap battery enabled computer can have all of these peripherals plugged into and powered by the computer itself, allowing providers to continue providing remote care both privately, effectively, and all while eliminating clutter.

The Financial Benefits of a Hot Swap Battery Solution

Battery-powered carts are more than bulky; they’re costly as well. For example, a recent study by the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health found that most battery powered, mobile workstations cost on average over $3,000 for a single unit, not including the computer or peripherals. So looking at their high price combined with their other pain points, it becomes hard to make a case for battery-powered carts.

A hot swap battery-powered computer eliminates the need for the powered cart altogether. In many cases, a facility can purchase a hot swap battery powered computer for less than a powered cart and consumer grade computer and use the savings to buy extra batteries and battery charging stations.

Hot Swappable Battery Computers Open the Door to Many Other Innovations

Hot swappable battery computers are optimized workstations for healthcare providers that open the door for several other innovative programs. For more information on battery-powered medical computers and tablets and how they can advance your particular practice, contact an expert from Cybernet today.