Among the many challenges created by the pandemic is the need to establish mass COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites in a short timeframe. Greg O’Connell, Vice President of Sales at Brother Mobile Solutions, provides his insights into how mobile print and labeling solutions can streamline processes and help ensure accuracy and safety at these sites.
How are print and labeling solutions used at testing and vaccination sites?
Mobile printing and labeling are currently playing a critical role at many testing and vaccination sites across the US and North America. They support tracking patient information and proof of cold chain documents, as well as enhancing patient and clinician safety and testing accuracy. An advantage of using Brother solutions is that they seamlessly integrate with core health systems, which helps make the rapid deployment smooth and efficient.
Can you provide some examples of how print and labeling solutions are working for these sites today?
There are many real-world use cases. For example, Brother recently worked with a Canadian provincial health unit to provide a mobile printing solution for vaccine recipients. The agency is currently deploying hundreds of vaccinations across the province and issues three receipts per vaccination patient, which include the patient’s name, location, date of vaccine, type of vaccine administered and date of the second dosage. Rugged printers can withstand hundreds of prints per day, are easy to set up and offer mobile printing flexibility for the staff.
Another example is test tube labeling at COVID-19 testing sites. The ability to print 2-inch test tube labels car side allows healthcare providers to increase testing accuracy and throughput so more patients can receive tests.
Mobile print and labeling solutions are also helping businesses bring their teams back to brick-and-mortar workspaces. Printers used with real-time temperature screening kiosks provide proof of screening by providing workers and visitors with easy-to-see, wearable labels. The innovative no-contact solutions are being used to screen people entering health facilities, schools, workplaces, and gyms and help keep workspaces and people safe.
Of course, in addition to labels for COVID-19 testing tubes and vaccination receipt printing, printers are used extensively across healthcare for uses such as patient ID wristbands, patient record labels, specimen collection, laboratory and slide labels and many types of wearable labels. They are also widely used for all types of safety signage, asset tracking, inventory control and security applications in health facilities. Outside of the hospital, they are used for the remote printing of documents in home health settings.
What are some of the features IT solutions providers should look for to give their clients the functionality they need?
Key functionality includes:
- Mobility: Since many receipt printers on the market require an outlet to run, they are not effective in mobile situations. Partner with mobile print and labeling vendors whose products have adequate battery life and a means of determining the exact charge amount in the battery before deploying to the site.
- Ruggedized: Testing and vaccination can take place in a range of environments, including outdoors. Printers should be able to perform and last in these settings. Expect printers to be dropped, splashed, and wiped clean in this environment.
- Easy Integration and Deployment: Printers should be easy to connect and simple to use, and they should integrate with healthcare and lab testing solutions. Wireless options can also add value since testing or vaccinations can occur where wired printers aren’t feasible.
- Label Quality: Also consider print and label media. Ensure it meets your clients’ requirements for widths and adhesive types, resists smearing or fading, and can be customized, if necessary, with logos or other preprinted images.
Do mobile print and labeling solutions represent a strong opportunity for solutions providers?
Absolutely. ISVs and VARs pairing their software solutions with mobile printers can offer their end customers a turnkey solution that can be up and running quickly – ultimately providing great benefit to the public as well as the clinicians and caregivers serving them.
Learn more at brothermobilesolutions.com.
