4 Common Healthcare Furniture Buying Mistakes
Buying furniture for a healthcare facility requires some considerations that go far beyond aesthetics. Sure, you want it to look good but you must also take into consideration the comfort and safety of your patients and employees. By avoiding these common buying mistakes, you can help ensure that the healthcare furniture you select will serve the needs of your medical facility for many years to come.
Wrong Fabrics
Selecting a fabric based on how it looks doesn’t guarantee that it will fit your needs. Vinyl chair fabric is a good example of where it can go wrong. When purchasing chairs for your healthcare practice, you can’t just choose vinyl. It’s not as simple as that. You will need to specify a healthcare-grade vinyl that can withstand cleansing with bleach to eliminate bacteria and other pathogens. Also, you’ll discover that a special type of antimicrobial vinyl is available that will withstand microbials. The right kind of material will also ensure that the chair can withstand heavy use.
Price Is The Number One Factor
It’s great to save money but make sure you give equal weight to value, too. To make the best buying decision, be sure to consider the expected life of the furniture. For example, if a less expensive chair designed for occasional use costs less than one designed to withstand heavy wear and tear, it may be tempting to buy the cheaper one. But that would be a mistake if in fact that chair will see heavy use. Repairs and replacement parts could cancel out any of the initial savings.
You Don’t Check Existing Furniture
When you’re replacing existing furniture, take the time to check what worked and what didn’t. This process will help you refine your expectations for your new purchases. It can also be helpful to ask for input from staff members. If you don’t ask, you may never know. For example, if the stools in your exam rooms are difficult to adjust or your nursing staff could use a keyboard tray, you would never know that information unless you ask. By taking the time to make an assessment of the furniture you currently have, you can avoid repeating earlier buying mistakes.
Products Are Not Rated For Everyone
If all your patients and staff had the same body type then buying furniture would be easy. But that isn’t reality. Instead, you need to be able to accommodate individuals of varying shapes and sizes. For example, if an office chair is only rated for use by an individual up to 250 pounds, you’ll have problems for those individuals needing more support. Choosing a chair that is not rated for everyone can result in costly damage to the chair and likely injury to the person sitting in it. The savings you realized by purchasing the lower rated chair would far exceed the cost of your liability to the injured person.
When you need healthcare furniture, it’s important to have a partner that understands your unique needs. With over 20 years of experience serving the Houston area, ROSI Office Systems has developed a strong reputation for its large selection, quick delivery and value-based pricing. All ROSI healthcare furniture provides longevity and durability to meet the demands of elder care, surgical centers, hospitals, urgent care and more. Want more information? Contact us today!
Looking for more healthcare furniture tips? See our healthcare furniture key features tips blog.
