If you are in the public safety industry and are familiar with Xybix, you may have noticed a few articles, emails and blogs from Xybix about imaging desks. Are you scratching your head and wondering what that is all about…? I realize most of associate Xybix as only selling height adjustable furniture to 911 dispatch, security and utility agencies. But, in fact, there are several other industries in which the ergonomic sit to stand furniture we provide can be beneficial.

It is a known fact that the optimum monitor placement would locate users monitors equal distance from the user’s eyes in order to minimize the need for the eyes to refocus when looking from screen to screen, thus reducing eye strain. 

Everyone wants to save a buck. Trust me, I do, too! Sometimes I have visions of grandeur that I can make some quick repair around the house. And the way these projects usually turn out is that they are larger then anyone expected, taking longer then anyone expected, and usually doesn't get completed in the time frame expected.

You can have say in what your reading room looks like! Every radiologist has sat at their imaging desk and thought how their life could be better if they just made a few changes to their room. Many radiologists come to us because they want to improve their room and their health. Some common issues we hear about room design:

• "I am facing the wrong direction and cannot see people standing over my shoulder."
• "Some light is creeping in through the blinds making it hard to read my screens."
• "I do not have control over the climate in my room, I'm freeze or sweating all shift long."
• "I cannot dim the lights; they are either 'off' or 'on'."
• "My own voice bounces off the wall, making my dictation difficult."
• "I’m stuck sitting all day and cannot stand at my imaging desk."

As a radiologist, it's no doubt that you spend a rather significant amount of time at a desk, behind a computer. The physical toll it takes on your body has to have crossed your mind. Not only do you risk becoming ill from germs on your keyboard and work surfaces, but you can also injure yourself. One of the most common preventable injuries amongst someone who spends a significant amount of time at a desk is related to the placement of the keyboard. Keyboard orientation is important to reduce muscular skeletal injuries. Whether sitting or standing, maintaining neutral alignment of the wrist along with an approximate 90 degree forearm-to-upper-arm relationship will significantly reduce the opportunity of injury.

Your top 3 price questions, answered

Most radiologists know the advantages of doing their work at a high-quality, height-adjustable workstation. The best radiology furniture not only delivers optimum comfort for doctors during long hours; it supports an ideal workflow and enables greater collaboration among the team.

So, what does a new radiology desk cost? We’ll cut straight to the chase here, followed by key considerations to help you maximize the furniture investment you make for the long term. 

Why would radiologists want their work surfaces to be antimicrobial? Radiologists, or anyone for that matter, would not like these “pests” living on their workstations:

Did you know that on unprotected surfaces, bacteria can double in number every 20 minutes? Ewwww!

Xybix offers an antimicrobial worksurface, in which the laminate work surface is infused with silver ions, which form an antimicrobial surface that curtails the growth of harmful bacteria. Silver ion technology has been proven to inhibit the growth of bacteria by 99.9%. Manufacturing our workstation surfaces with a silver ion composition provides radiologists with a healthier environment. 

We’ve seen a lot of hospitals put radiologists into small, weird-shaped rooms, with no thought of who is actually working in that room and how they’re going to use it. Radiologists don’t just sit (or better yet, stand) at a desk with one computer. Most Radiologists have multiple computers and monitors and they need to be in a dark, quiet room to work. They also need control over the room’s light, climate and noise. Together, these factors present a complicated environment for radiologist to work in.

I recently ran into a registered nurse who now works a desk job and sells services nationwide. When I was explaining to him that I worked for a company called Xybix Systems, Inc. that makes height adjustable ergonomic furniture, his eyes lit up and he said, “No way! I just built a homemade, height-adjustable desk myself and even added a treadmill! Here, I have a picture…” Needless to say what I saw, while impressive in a DIY kind of way, it was wrong on multiple levels. As an RN working the ER floor, he gained 60 pounds and struggled with eating right in a nonstop, emotionally taxing environment. He managed to lose the weight and keep it off and has certainly benefited from integrating consistent activity into his new workspace.

Light Reflectance
Have you ever wondered why Radiologists work in dark rooms? Studies have shown that the ability to interpret diagnostic images correctly on medical imaging monitors begins to decline as the ambient light conditions go from dark to light. Another common problem is light reflectance which can cause glare on the imaging monitors, impacting the clarity of the images. Too much glare is a frequent complaint among workstation users. Glare can be disabling, reducing the contrast of images and interfering with the ability to read the images correctly. Glare can be caused by reflections from interior light sources, light from windows and even light colored objects within the reading room-- including the color of the furniture.