Brayden Bennett, regional sales manager, Northeast, LogiQuip shared his perspectives on workstations with Healthcare Purchasing News. Here's what he had to say.
What are workstations used for in a hospital setting?
Workstations are used in Sterile Processing Departments for instrument inspection, testing, validation, and for packing wrapped instruments sets.
Who uses these? Is it primarily nursing staff? SPD?
Users vary but the most common user would be a sterile processing technician.
What current challenges are hospital staff facing when it comes to workstations?
Some of these challenges include poor ergonomics with fixed height workstations which, over time, can cause the Sterile Processing Technician long term back and neck pain. In addition, limited storage capacity for the supplies needed, inefficient workflow design, dimly lit work areas, and smaller departments means limited space for large workstations forcing the SPD to use less effective solutions.
Are there any innovations helping solve these challenges?
Height Adjustable Workstations allow for each technician to set the table to a suitable height, helping to prevent neck and back pain. The limited storage capacity can be addressed by removing the plastic bins above the table and replacing them with fine mesh wire baskets that eliminate wasted space. Workflow design can be improved by a workflow review to create a more seamless layout/design. Workstations need overhead LED lighting and lighted magnifiers for better visibility of the task at hand. Increasing capacity in sterile processing during new construction will lead to increased throughput and faster turnover in the operating room.
What unique offerings does your organization have?
LogiQuip offers highly customizable, height adjustable Workstations to meet each facility’s unique needs. In addition to a wide variety of accessories to make our Workstations as ergonomic as possible, we also incorporate our ParWall® Fine Mesh Basket Shelves to allow for better space utilization, supply visibility, and less maintenance.
Where do you see this space in the next 5-10 years? Any new tech being added?
I see this space becoming more and more important. In the last 5 years there has been significant attention and training brought to the sterile processing space. Over the next 5-10 years we expect to continue to see this level of education and care increase.
