Battery-Free Barcode Scanners for Uninterrupted Patient Care

Modernhealthcare facilities have widely adopted barcode scanning for its advantagesin electronic medical records (EMR), meds administration, equipment monitoring,sample analysis and workflow. Over the years, manufacturers of barcodingtechnology have made incremental improvements in printing, scan resolution,speed and wireless capabilities.

One familiar recent enhancement is cordless barcode scanners. While their range of signal and battery life are limited, cordless models offer several advantages to healthcare settings: freedom of movement; portability and equipment located close to the point of care; easy cleaning and increased safety, without the cord snagging an IV line or entangling a person.

The benefits of barcode scannersfor healthcare

The benefitsfor healthcare will continue to leap forward as scanning technology providersendeavour to understand how barcode scanners are really used in patientsettings by the clinicians themselves. The future of scanner technology inhealthcare needs to address real-world problems and must deliver solutions thatfree up providers to focus on patient care and comfort.

A technology breakthrough that delivers even greater benefits is battery-free, cordless barcode scanners. The battery-free option removes one more barrier between the technician and the patient, decreasing any wasted effort, lost time and frustration. The battery-free cordless scanner is ready to perform approximately 450 scans on a single 60-second charge, whether at 2 p.m. or 2 a.m.

Scannerswith a rapid charge feature have the potential to significantly help reducemanual overrides due to dead batteries. In practice, more manual overrides leadto medical errors. Nurses with ready access to working scanners are less likelyto type information by hand into the computer.

Imaginenever having to manage batteries again. You can be confident that the scannerwill be restored to full function after a quick recharge. Using cutting-edge,built-in supercapacitor power storage, a battery-free cordless scanner todaycan be fully charged in 60 seconds from a power supply. And it will scan up to100 barcodes with just a 20-second charge.

Myscanner is not working

The numberone cause of a reported dead barcode scanner is a completely depleted batterythat needs complete replacement in the middle of a shift or busy period.Hospital staff are then required to track down replacement batteries, conductscanner startup and occasionally even troubleshoot scanner connection issues. Witha normal battery-powered cordless scanner, you can encounter scenarios likethis:

Nurse: Hey IT, my scanner's not working, and I need another one now.

IT Administrator: OK, I'll come up and replace it with one that's working.

The ITadministrator comes up to the floor to replace the dead scanner. Theadministrator first puts it on the charger to see whether it will light upwithin 12+ minutes to confirm that the issue is in fact a dead battery. It willthen fully charge in roughly 4 hours.

With abattery-free cordless scanner, the solution is much simpler, and much moreefficient:

Nurse: Hey IT, my scanner's notworking.

IT: Let's see if it's out of power. Please put it on the charger for 20 seconds and let's see what happens.

Nurse: The LED just blinked.

IT: Great it's good to go. Just remember to put it on the charger as soon as you're done.

Battery-freecordless scanners offer the freedom of wireless technology without themaintenance hassles or long recharge time associated with traditionalbatteries. Capable of delivering roughly 450 scans on a single 30-secondcharge, battery-free scanners are perfect for meds administration applicationswhere you need to scan a few items accurately and quickly, without needing tocompletely swap out your scanner in the middle of a shift to recharge forhours. Without time-consuming scanner downtime for recharging, the requirement forspare scanners is also greatly reduced, making the job of the IT administratorfar easier.

Introducing:Xenon Extreme Performance (XP) 1952h battery-free scanner

The XenonXP 1952h battery-free scanner has been designed from the ground up to be aperfect barcode scanning solution for modern patient care and hospital use.

Recharged in 60 seconds, right at the bedside

Powered bysupercapacitors instead of a battery, a 60-second full charge can deliver atleast 450 scans at up to 10 meters (33 feet) from the base, making it an idealscanner for patient care applications at the bedside, such as medsadministration or specimen collection. The quick charge feature of the Xenon XP1952h battery-free scanner minimizes problems associated with dead batterieslike manual overrides and unnecessary IT support calls.

Say goodbye to the maintenance hassles and costs of battery power

Without thebattery management required in other cordless scanners, a common maintenancehassle is removed, an ongoing expense is eliminated and the scanner is lighterand more environmentally friendly. Engineered to withstand 2000 tumbles at halfa metre (1,6 feet) and 50 drops at 1,8 metres (6 feet), the scanners bringdurability and reliability to any environment.

Easier to clean

Honeywellhealthcare devices are made with disinfectant-ready plastics, and cordlessmodels carry less potential for exposure to bacteria and viruses.

Compatibility for Xenon customers

Xenon XPseries is backward-compatible with the Xenon 1900g and 1902g, including powersupplies, cables and configuration barcodes. With a simple firmware update, theXenon XP is even compatible with older scanner bases, saving you replacementand upgrade costs.

Learn More About Honeywell Healthcare Solutions at cdw.ca/Healthcare