Trolleys for hospitals and nursing homes: how they are built, which are the types and how they can be customized

Hospital trolleys are a core element and represent a strategic choice to define the medical furniture of each medical facility.

Hospital carts are used to store and keep instruments, medicines, and anything else that nursing staff and medical personnel need to have on hand or move at all times. In this article we delve into how they are built, which are the most common types and how they can be customized.

Trolleys for hospitals and nursing homes: how they are built

The various types of hospital trolleys have a pretty common structure. They are equipped with castors with variable diameter, two of which are braking castors. Based on the needs (manoeuvrability, stability or load capacity), castors can be single or double.

To make it easier to organize everything, hospital carts can have drawers of different sizes or internal shelves, which are often used for the storage and delivery of medications.

Hospital trolleys can be provided either with hinged doors or rolling shutter: the shutter is ideal for first-aid or for environments where hinged doors could become an obstacle. A common element among all trolleys for hospitals and nursing homes is the locking capability: key locking, electronic locking or locking with seals – suitable for emergency carts in particular.

Hospital trolleys, the most common types

Trolleys for hospitals and nursing homes have several variations. Different types are designed according to the spaces and the needs of each ward, as well as to facilitate the work of the medical and nursing staff.

Crash trolleys

Also called “emergency trolleys”, these hospital carts are the most important model. They are a mobile emergency response unit with everything necessary for life-saving operations.

They have drawers of various sizes for easy access to all equipment and medications in emergency situations. They can have accessories such as a swivelling tray for defibrillator. They are used in all hospital wards, nursing homes and rehab facilities.

Medication trolleys

The purpose of these carts is the delivery of drugs and they are designed to facilitate the storage, transportation and delivery of medicines to the patients. Usually they are equipped with various drawers/trays for unit-dose bins, as well as a locking system to ensure safety.

Treatment trolleys

They are used by medical and nursing staff in hospital wards with daily needs, such as storage of medical equipment. Therapy and infusion carts are often customized with different drawers and accessories according to preference.

Anaesthesia trolleys

Ideal for the organization of instruments and drugs needed during the anaesthesia administration procedure. In order to make the whole operation run smooth, these carts have numerous drawers with different sizes.

Storage trolleys

They are key to making the storage and transport of medical supplies even more immediate and convenient. Collection and storage carts are used to carry instrument with capacious baskets or drawers to accommodate numerous or large products.

Service trolleys

Service carts are a basic multipurpose tool useful for transporting sterile material, equipment, and other various materials. Stainless steel, the material of choice for this type of trolleys, ensures a high standard of cleanliness.

Patient chart trolleys

Commonly referred to as “medical records carts”, they are used to store medical records and patient charts, fundamental tools for managing patient clinical data. They are equipped with large drawers or compartments useful for storing documents.

Bedside trolleys

Thanks to their lightweight body and various drawers, these carts are handy tool to be placed next to the patient’s bed and they can be moved around the bedroom easily.

Multipurpose trolleys

These are multifunctional trolleys made of painted steel or stainless steel with drawers and compartments of various sizes that ensure quick and efficient storage of sanitary materials.

Isolation trolleys

Used during the treatment of infectious diseases, they ensure the storage and isolated maintenance of protective equipment used by medical personnel. For easier identification, they can be made in a special color, have drawers with labels or be equipped with specific accessories.

Paediatric trolleys

Emergency carts with drawers designed according to the Broselow Tape, which is a color-coded system utilized worldwide in the medical field. There are 8 drawers containing the most commonly needed accessories during resuscitation or emergency procedures.

Intubation trolleys

The drawers of these carts are labelled in order to quickly identify the proper equipment during the delicate procedure of intubation.

Phlebotomy trolleys

They are used during blood donation procedures operations to facilitate phlebotomists’ work and to store vials and syringes in drawers of various sizes and reclining compartments.

Operating Theatre trolleys

These carts have an ergonomic design that makes them suitable for such a rigorous environment as the Operating Theatre. They are made of AISI 304 stainless steel, a high-quality material that ensures easy cleaning and enables sanitization of these environments.

Sterilization trolleys

These are carts designed for sterilization departments. They can vary in size and design, but all are made of AISI 304 stainless steel to meet major sanitization guidelines.

Electromedical trolleys

They can be used to accommodate a computer or electromedical equipment. Made of painted steel, they are available in different lengths, depths and heights. They can be customized with accessories and have shelves and drawers.

Linen and cleaning trolleys

In various hospital wards or residences for the elderly, patient hygiene, linen management and space cleaning play a crucial role. There are two types of carts:

Linen trolleys, fit for all environments and perfect for the collection, distribution or storage of laundry, clean and dirty;
Cleaning trolleys, ergonomic carts equipped with waste receptacles or multi-purpose carts and cleaners to cleanse hospital environments and to make the job easier for the team in charge of room hygiene.

Hospital trolleys: how to customize the materials and the structure

Trolleys for hospitals and nursing homes are highly customizable according to the needs of the medical and nursing staff and/or the spaces of the ward.

We at CFS Italia are able to design and manufacture trolleys made of various materials, often combined: starting from the popular epoxy-painted carts, we also use aluminum, stainless steel and technopolymer – a plastic-based material as a substitute for metals, particularly strong and rigid.
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But it’s the customization of a trolley’s structure the key to its effective and lasting use: we at CFS Italia take into account not only the intended use of the product, but also the specific needs of the operator.

Contact us atcommerciale@cfsitalia.com and tell us more about what your needs are in terms of spaces and trolley structure.

Hospital trolleys: types and customization

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