It was no secret to Bravera Health Spring Hill’s IT team that their OR needed new workstations. The team was using standard, very heavy battery-powered Ergotron carts with entire desktop computers outfitted onto them, and these delivered a host of issues. 

First off, they would need to be regularly plugged in to hold a charge, meaning they were often tethered in place instead of being mobile as they were supposedly designed. Secondly, on several occasions, staff was forgetting to plug these stations in after a shift, often resulting in the next shift being left high and dry with a dead workstation. Not only that, due to the heavy desktop computers and even heavier batteries needed to keep the cart running, their workstations were clunky and heavy. This meant that, even when the stations were mobile, they were incredibly laborious to move. The team was painfully aware that a new solution was necessary.

Right off the bat, they knew a fanless design topped the list of requirements for any new workstation they would deploy within an operating room.

The physicians at Spring Hill were also very particular in their requests for lighter, more mobile workstations. They were tired of being rooted to an outlet and wanted a workstation that would allow them to adjust and maneuver to positions they deemed comfortable. Finally, the IT team also knew that any battery-powered solution would need to be easily charged with little effort so as to avoid inconveniencing later shifts due to negligent charging practices.  

With all of these requirements in mind, the team had originally attempted to build their own solution— hoping to use laptop computers for their improved portability. Unfortunately, they quickly observed that needing a fanless design instantly ruled out nearly every popular, commercially available laptop. Realizing that building their own solution from the ground up would be too expensive and not as effective, they decided to see what a Google search would turn up, and that was when they came across Cybernet’s CyberMed NB22 units. 

The NB unit ticked off every requirement the IT team at Spring Hill was looking for. Firstly, and most importantly, they were fanless and IP65 certified. This was enough to convince the team that Cybernet’s solutions were perfect for the OR environment. Beyond that, however, they also saw that the units supported hot swap battery functionality, meaning the device could be powered by three lightweight batteries that were easy to swap and even easier to plug in for a charge. With this, the team saw an OR workstation solution that would not only give their providers enhanced maneuverability and adjustment capabilities, but also solve the issue of leaving uncharged stations for later shifts. 

And, as an added benefit the team hadn’t even considered when searching for their computers, they saw that the NB22 units could be integrated with all of the peripherals their providers used on a daily basis such as barcode scanners and RFID readers. This meant even less wires and clutter for these workstations that would need to be lightweight and maneuverable above all else.

Spring Hill was ultimately so impressed with the units that they even went ahead and replaced their nurses’ workstations in addition to the OR stations with NB22 computers.

Across the board, sentiments about the new workstations have been resoundingly positive at Spring Hill since their implementation. In the OR, physicians are beyond pleased to be able to wheel and orient their workstations into whatever position fits their needs most optimally. Furthermore, they’re comforted by the knowledge that their workstations can be rigorously sanitized thanks to their IP65 certified, fanless build. 

Both the OR and nurses are also beyond happy with the fact that their workstations can go entire shifts, which sometimes last upwards of 12 hours, without requiring a recharge. Better yet, because the hot swap batteries are so effortless to remove, recharge, and replace, later shifts are no longer suffering from negligent charging practices leaving them without a properly powered workstation. Spring Hill’s IT team even reports that they’ve owned some of their batteries for nearly 5 years without any issues in regards to their performance. 

Spring Hill’s team also reported that the only time they had to reach out to Cybernet’s support team due to a driver issue, they were met with a responsive and effective fix almost instantly. 

After observing these benefits and responses, CHS, the healthcare network that manages Bravera Health Spring Hill and 93 other affiliated hospitals, has gone on to make Cybernet’s medical computers their system standard for all of their facilities.