Yes, sometimes black-and-white will capture the moment so nicely, but the reality is, we’ve been thriving on color since the 1960s. Color TV! Color photos! Color movies! And now all our digital devices record and relate the world in millions of colors.

We Americans love color for how it looks. Amber waves of grain. Purple mountain majesties. And we love color for the meaning. Red light stop. Green light go. We love how color make us feel. Calming blues, optimistic yellows, disciplined grays.

What we don’t love is selecting colors. In a world where Benjamin Moore alone sells 150+ shades of white, how do you even know where to start? And even if you’re able to pick the perfect white paint, what about the furniture, artwork and accent colors? Today’s muted gray looks are 10 years away from looking as dated as the teal and mauves of the 1980s.

Back in 1996, chess champion Garry Kasparov beat IBM’s Deep Blue chess-playing machine and we thought it was a triumph of humanity over technology. And then, a year later, Deep Blue wins. Could the world of The Terminator be coming true?

The reality is that humans were behind the artificial intelligence (AI) that allowed Deep Blue to win. And I see that in our work here at Xybix every day. The artificial intelligence from our technologies helps our ASID-affiliated interior designers communicate, but it’s their experience and creativity that brings your vision to life. It’s the human element that allows us to design workspaces that are functional, efficient and inspiring.

"The average office desk has 400 times more bacteria than a toilet seat."

If you have old-school “edge-banded” desktops in your 24/7 work environment, they’re hiding a dirty secret: The average office desk has 400 times more bacteria than a toilet seat.

Why? Because germs can easily hide in the seams of traditional edge-banded desks. Gross, right? Even worse is how quickly your team of mission-critical operators can get sick when exposed to harmful bacteria. This can increase illness and absenteeism among those who serve the public 24/7: dispatchers, command center operators, and radiologists.

If you’re shopping for new consoles for your 24/7 operations area, you’ve likely heard a lot of mixed messages about wood vs. steel-construction workstations. Why so much conflicting information? Because the best console manufacturers, including Xybix, invest heavily in their manufacturing infrastructures for the products they know are high quality.

So how do you sort through the myriad claims out there and, most important, choose the right materials and products for your operations center or control room? Read on as we address five common, often misleading, claims about wood components in control room consoles—and uncover the truth.

Monitor arms may seem like a good idea at first, but generally they require the user(s) to make a viewing adjustment for each individual monitor. This is a significant problem that compromises the potential for proper ergonomic benefits.

When you're shopping for a new dispatch or command center console, you want to get something that will hold up to the abuse of a 911 dispatch center. Let’s face it; 24/7 use is tough on any equipment. The actual furniture itself takes even more abuse with the constant physical contact.

NOTE: There is a 2023 update to this article available here:
https://blog.xybix.com/casters-v-glides-for-digital-imaging-desks

Many facilities will request casters on imaging desks so that they can easily access the equipment or move a desk for cleaning purposes. Let’s be realistic; if the imaging desk is designed for easy access to the LCD monitors and CPUs, and it has a good cable management system, there is really no need to move the desk away from the wall. To emphasize my point, how many times have you actually seen the desks moved away from the wall? As far as cleaning goes, how often do the facility staff members move the desks away from the wall to clean? The answer is the same for both questions: rarely.

Panel Systems that Make Sense

When customers purchase console furniture, it often includes a discussion about panel systems. If you speak with a variety of vendors, you will certainly get a variety of panel solutions as well. I’ll share with you what is needed from panel systems (or “core systems”) so that you end up with the most efficient option.

Does Panel Size Matter?

Some manufacturers propose that the wider the core is, the more advantageous it will be, as you will be able to fit more cabling or computers within the core. That may be true. The benefit hinges on how you’re running power and data to your workstation and what access you need to those data lines or the computers.

If I said, “Your employees need an ergonomically correct workplace," you may bristle. But if I said, "Your employees will be more comfortable and more productive, and they’ll likely complain less,” I’ll bet your ears just perked up.

Ergonomics is the critical component here. Not only is does it provide a workplace standard, but it also sends a message to your team that you care.

Telemetry labs, aka continuous monitoring labs, help overburdened medical staff spend time on face-to-face patient care.

Even before COVID-19 took a stranglehold on U.S. medical resources, many hospitals and healthcare facilities recognized the benefits of having an on-site (or off-site) continuous monitoring lab.

So, what is a Continuous Monitoring Lab?

Continuous monitoring labs, aka telemetry labs, are remote labs in which trained medical personnel conduct real-time monitoring of patient vital signs, including (ECG) readings, heart rate, and oxygen saturation. Relieving nurses of this burden, which they have traditionally performed during their daily rounds, lets them spend more quality time on face-to-face care—helping to improve the level of patient care and reduce nurse burnout.  

As the need for continuous monitoring grows, along with the sheer number of patients that nurses must care for, so too goes the demand for well-designed telemetry labs that deliver comfort, productivity, and long-term return on investment in your healthcare organization.

So how much does it cost to procure a telemetry desk that will support your patient care team while they do the mission-critical work of saving lives? Read on for answers to this and your other cost questions surrounding telemetry workstations.