Healthcare Carts Equipped with Mounted Tablets for Secure Patient Data Access

• How Mounted Tablets Have Transformed Modern Hospital Workflows
• History of Tablet Use in Hospitals
• What Is a Healthcare Cart?
• Why Mobility Matters
• Why Secure Tablet Mounting Is Critical in Healthcare
• Common Types of Tablet Mounts for Healthcare Carts
• Industrial-Grade Tablet Mounts for Demanding Healthcare Environments
• Benefits of Mounted Tablets Across Healthcare Facilities
• Improve Healthcare Workflows with Secure Tablet Mounts

How Mounted Tablets Have Transformed Modern Hospital Workflows

As tablets become a critical part of everyday hospital workflows, they are an essential tool for giving healthcare professionals instant access to important data in real time. This includes electronic health records (EHRs) and clinical applications, which are crucial for fast patient treatment and care. 

They give physicians instant access to critical data to assess and treat patients, while nurses and other medical staff can use them to check patients' medications and test results that may be required while under their care.

Medical tablets are often mounted on the healthcare carts that hospital staff use, secured with fixed, secure tablet holders that protect these vital data machines from damage or loss. This keeps them in one place for all staff to access.

History of Tablet Use in Hospitals

Healthcare professionals in the US started using handheld devices as far back as the 2000s with specialized, ruggedized devices and PDAs. The slow move to fully digitizing the healthcare systems in the US sped up and became more widespread with the introduction of the Apple iPad in the 2010s.

From then on, the tablet became a modern staple for hospital workflows, driven by government incentives for electronic health records (EHR). Hospitals, healthcare outlets, and medical centers across the US started using iPads and other tablets for various tasks. 

Early adopters of tablets in hospitals include Kaweah Delta Health Care District in Visalia, CA, conducting one of the first formal trials with devices, the University of Chicago Medical Center in Chicago, IL, expanding a pilot program giving their orthopedic staff iPads to instantly access patient records and Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, IL giving their medical staff iPads to track patient information and pull up patient medical data while visiting patients in their hospital beds.

What Is a Healthcare Cart?

A healthcare cart (or medical cart) is a specialized, mobile workstation on wheels used in hospitals, outpatient centers, specialty care buildings, and long-term care facilities. It's highly mobile and serves a wide range of roles, storing, transporting, and dispensing medical supplies and medications while holding electronic equipment.

They're used across a number of departments for specific tasks. This includes:

• Point-of-Care Carts: Mobile computer carts with tablets, screens with keyboards, and battery systems that allow nurses and physicians to access and update electronic health records (EHRs) and review test results at the patient's bedside.
• Medication Carts: Secure carts with locking drawers and compartments to safely manage patient-specific medications, transporting and dispensing these prescribed drugs around the hospital. Often have tablets fixed to tablet holders to access patient drug and medication data.
• Treatment Carts: Custom-designed carts that have specialized equipment, medications, and tools for specific medical treatment and care, ranging from basic wound care to anesthesia procedures. Tablets would be used for patient and treatment data.
• Emergency/Crash Carts: Mobile carts loaded with life-saving equipment, such as emergency medications, monitoring equipment, defibrillators, and airway systems, used to respond to critical medical emergencies such as cardiac arrests and heart attacks.
• Isolation Carts: Usually found outside isolation rooms, these carts carry personal protective equipment (PPE) like gloves, gowns, masks, and other equipment used to prevent infection and protect patients.

Why Mobility Matters

These mobile carts are an essential tool in hospitals, allowing medical staff to get on with their daily tasks and emergencies without errors. They must be extremely mobile and are usually on four wheels, designed for ease of movement and stability across hospital rooms and floors.

Why Tablets Have Become Essential in Modern Healthcare

Since 2010, tablets have become a crucial tool in modern healthcare. They have replaced written reports and allowed medical staff to not only instantly access electronic health records (EHRs) but also update them in real time. This creates a better workflow within the hospital management system, as data is updated across the systems so that treatment, medication, and care can be updated immediately.

It also allows physicians, nurses, and other medical staff on shift to be immediately updated on their patients' requirements, without having to 'look it up' elsewhere. Lab and test results can be instantly accessed, enabling better-informed decisions.

Having all this data accessed from a single device helps reduce the likelihood of errors, improves continuity of care between shifts, and ensures critical information is always readily available when it's needed most.

Improve Communication with Patients

Having fast access to patient records not only supports electronic health records (EHRs) but also improves communication with patients. Medical staff can easily show and explain scans and test results using graphs and data.

It allows staff to educate patients on procedures by displaying scans, diagrams, illustrations, videos, and other educational resources, helping patients understand any treatments or surgeries they're about to have. Physicians and other medical staff can answer any common questions, while the tablet can act as a digital consent form once they're ready to move forward with treatment.

Using tablets such as iPads and Samsung Galaxy tablets helps deliver better communication, which improves overall patient experience and helps build solid trust between doctor and patient.

Why Secure Tablet Mounting Is Critical in Healthcare

These tablets need to be secured onto medical carts with robust fixings, as often they're used daily, if not continuously throughout the day. Healthcare carts move around different departments through hallways, in elevators and in patient rooms. 

It's especially critical for these tablets to be secured in intensive care units, where they're often rushed in during emergencies, so tablet holders need to be extremely durable and secure to prevent tablets from becoming unhinged or loose during these crucial moments.

Protecting Valuable Equipment

Tablets provide access to critical data, so it's essential they're protected with a mounted tablet holder securing them from damage such as accidental knocks and drops. They also help prevent theft, as hospitals can be high-traffic areas for medical staff and patients, as well as visitors, contractors, and other personnel moving throughout the facility. 

Organization also helps ensure a smooth workflow in a hospital, and tablet mounting systems can support this. They make it easier to clean and organize healthcare carts, with less clutter. Tablet mounting systems reduce handling, which is especially important for cleanliness and infection control. By keeping tablets fixed to mounts, healthcare staff can spend less time managing the equipment and focus on using it for immediate patient care.

Common Types of Tablet Mounts for Healthcare Carts

Every healthcare cart and environment has different requirements, meaning the ideal mounting solution depends on how and where the tablet will be used. Emergency carts typically require industrial-grade, heavy-duty mounting systems that can withstand jolts and frequent movement during emergency medical situations. Treatment carts and general-purpose medical carts benefit from more flexible tablet mounting systems that allow easy adjustment and repositioning.

Hospitals and healthcare facilities can choose from several types of tablet mounts, including clamp mounts, locking mounts and holders, suction mounting systems, drill-base mounts and industrial-grade mounting systems such as ARKON Mounts XMS series and the RAM® Tough-Claw™ series. Each of these options provides different levels of security, flexibility, and robustness depending on the type of work and use case needed within the healthcare unit.

Healthcare facilities can choose from several types of tablet mounts, including clamp mounts, locking mounts, suction mounts, drill-base mounts, and industrial-grade mounting systems.

Each option provides different levels of security, flexibility, and durability depending on the workflow, location, and level of daily use.

Clamp-On Tablet Mounts

Sometimes tablets need to be transferred from cart to cart or removed at the end of the shift, whether that's moving to a new healthcare cart or simply removing them for use on another day.

Clamping systems, such as the Slim-Grip® Tablet Clamp Mount, feature clamping mounts that can be securely and easily attached to cart handles or worktops, while the ball-ended shaft can be used to adjust the tablet for easy positioning. 

They require no drilling or permanent installation and can be clamped quickly onto medical carts when required and repositioned quickly. Note that the Slim-Grip® spring-loaded design on the ARKON Mounts allows tablets to be quickly removed and installed when needed, such as for obtaining patient digital signatures or to show data to a colleague.

Locking Tablet Mounts

Locking tablet holders are a solid option for shared equipment and busy hospitals, locking the device into the holder and requiring a key to remove it. Systems such as the LockVise™ series from ARKON Mounts include the LockVise™ Locking Phone Mount and LockVise™ Locking POS Tablet Mount.

These mounting systems deter theft in busy hospital environments with high foot traffic by locking tablets into the holders.

Drill-Base Mounts

For a more permanent installation, a drill-base mounting system is used. These are used on more frequently used carts, such as medication carts that don't change their use on a daily basis. Like locking tablet holders, they're also deployed in high-traffic areas where security is paramount. Fixing them to the cart helps prevent theft and unauthorized tablet removal.

Drill-base mounts usually consist of a 4-hole AMPS mounting system with a robust ball-end so the shaft or multi-angle arm can be adjusted and locked into place with a tightening knob.

Tablet mounting systems such as the Slim-Grip® Ultra Pro Universal Tablet Holder with Drill-Base feature a solid drill base, whereas the LockVise™ POS Drill-Base Locking Tablet Mount has both a drill-base and locking tablet holder for increased security.

Suction Mounts

Alongside clamping mounting systems, suction mounts can be used for non-permanent mounting. These powerful suction mounts, as you see in the Slim-Grip® Double Suction Windshield Tablet Mount, can be used on healthcare carts with smooth work surfaces. These can be easily attached to carts using a one-touch lever that anchors it to a flat surface.

Industrial-Grade Tablet Mounts for Demanding Healthcare Environments

In some cases, a regular mounting system doesn't work, so a heavy-duty mounting system is needed.

Industrial-grade mounting systems such as the ARKON Mounts XMS series, which features the XMS™ U-Bolt Mount with Slim-Grip Ultra Pro Tablet Holder and XMS™ U-Bolt Mount with LockVise™ Metal Locking Tablet Holder, come with robust, secure XMS™ U-Bolt Mounts.

ARKON Mounts also offer heavy-duty metal shafts that can withstand regular wear and tear.

Benefits of Mounted Tablets Across Healthcare Facilities

Mounted tablets on medical carts provide healthcare facilities with a flexible way to improve workflows throughout the working day, giving medical teams access to patient information wherever care is delivered.

• Hospitals: Extremely busy, fast-paced environments, hospitals are where physicians, nurses, and other healthcare specialists move between patient rooms and departments. Mounted tablets on medical carts provide easy and immediate access to electronic health records (EHRs), test results, and medication schedules, helping staff deliver bedside care while keeping devices secure and on hand when needed.
• Outpatient Clinics: With a steady flow and high volume of patients throughout any working day, efficiency is absolutely key. Mounted tablet systems allow healthcare professionals to review medical data and update records quickly, as well as show them digital images and any other educational resources during consultations.
• Urgent Care Centers: Urgent care centres provide rapid patient assessment and treatment, so efficiency is essential. Secure tablets in mounting systems allow doctors and medical staff to quickly access and review patient records and order tests when needed, while ensuring devices remain protected in busy treatment areas.
• Long-Term Care Facilities: In long-term care facilities, caregivers use tablets to monitor residents and provide information on when to administer medications. Mounted tablets on healthcare carts make accessing this information easier during their rounds, helping staff stay organized.
• Ambulance Services: For EMTs (Emergency Medical Technicians), a secured tablet mount provides reliable access to patient records wherever care is delivered. They can also serve as other useful tools such as GPS navigation and traffic updates.

Improve Healthcare Workflows with Secure Tablet Mounts

As healthcare becomes more technology-heavy, tablets are now part of its infrastructure, an indispensable tool for delivering efficient, patient-centered care. From accessing electronic health records (EHRs) to updating medications and educating patients, tablets deliver an efficient and smooth workflow wherever care is delivered.

Equipping healthcare carts with a secure tablet mounting system works two-fold. It protects valuable devices from damage and theft, while supporting medical staff, making their work lives more organized and efficient. Choosing the correct type of mounting system, whether it's a clamp, locking, drill-base, or industrial-grade solution, ensures tablets are completely accessible and ready for everyday use.

ARKON Mounts offers a wide range of tablet mounting systems designed to meet the demands of busy hospitals and urgent care centers. Their modular components mean that each part of the mount—base, shaft, and tablet holder—can be swapped out or upgraded without purchasing a whole new system. This means they can be adapted for different setups within the healthcare facility.