You just received approval to purchase new monitors for your reading room. This is great news! Just when you think you’ve got the latest and greatest in technology, something even sharper, more innovative is released; it becomes increasingly more important to evaluate your equipment to ensure your older monitors aren’t negatively affecting patient outcomes or hindering doctors’ ability to formulate proper diagnoses.
So you have a pretty good idea of what brands of monitors are out there and what your reading room needs. (You've probably been scoping them out at conferences like AHRA or RSNA the last year or two.) Maybe the monitors you are considering are heavy (really heavy), like the Barco Coronis Uniti, or similar? But wait…! Before you sign the check for those new monitors, there are some things you may not have considered!
What imaging desk are you currently using? What is the measurement of the desk? Finding out this information can be crucial. Do you have a height adjustable desk? If so, what is the weight threshold for the table while moving? Are you using monitor arms, or a fixed monitor mounting system? Food for thought - are you planning to purchase 82” of monitors to fit on a 66” long desk?
When purchasing new (very costly) monitors, especially monitors that are over 25 pounds, it is especially important to ensure that you have the proper desk to accommodate this equipment. Ensuring that it can support the new equipment you plan on purchasing can help to maintain its performance for its entire expected life.
If you have a dual surface, height-adjustable desk, make sure you verify the weight of the new monitor(s) you plan to purchase. If you are currently using monitors of 25 lbs. or lighter with a monitor mounting system and plan to purchase something more heavy duty, like the Barco Coronis Uniti, contact your furniture manufacturer to ensure that the monitors you intend to buy will work with your current set up. If needed, you may need to request a heavy duty monitor mount. This mount is a super quick and easy way to swap out older monitors for the newer, heavier ones, without a bunch of tools and equipment. These heavy duty mounts will ensure that your monitors stay safe and doctors focused on doing what they do best.
If you do NOT have a dual surface height-adjustable desk and are using another monitor adjustment tool, like monitor arms, I suggest finding out if they can handle monitors of that particular weight. Typically, monitor arms will sag and require constant re-adjustment and tightening to function properly.
Don’t hesitate to call your furniture manufacturer to double-check weight capacity and functionality of your desks and monitor arrangement. (Plus, they will probably appreciate it and applaud you for being ahead of the game for doing so.) They should make certain that your existing set up is prepared to handle the new equipment and if not, they should offer guidance to find out what is needed to achieve the desired set up. Just contact your local rep to help set you up for success!
