Medical Cart Drawers, Bins, and Configurations

Medical cart configurations can be selected prior to ordering from the manufacturer. Sometimes there is a small fee associated with this, but well worth having your equipment and supplies stored optimally. How the actual storage space of the medical cart is configured is usually indicative of the cart names and applications. Workstations  on wheels, computer on wheels, and point of care carts now frequently have medication bins or drawers attached. Right now I am specifically referencing “Full Bodied” carts, such as shown in here (ARN-19-000E by S&S MedCart).

A “30-inch cart” refers to the vertical storage space available to be configured. Not to be confused with the overall total cart height, which would included the entire cart, top, raised edge, and even push handle/s if they are higher than the cart top.

The 30″ storage space can be broken into ten (10) 3″ increments. Cart manufacturers offer drawers and medication bins to fill that space. The bins most commonly come in Cassette’s, which actually house the bins and occupy a section of the available vertical storage space.

Drawers: medical cart drawers are offered in 3″, 6″, 9″, 12″ vertical sizes. Some manufacturers offer a 4″, but it is not as common. Here are some theoretical examples of potential drawer configurations. They are referenced from the top of  the cart to the bottom.

A. Quantity 5 – 3″, 1 – 6″, and 1 – 9″ drawers (vertical drawer space totals 30″)

B. Quantity 1 – 3″, 3 – 9″ drawers (vertical drawer space totals 30″)

C. Quantity 5 – 6″ drawers (shown, vertical drawer space totals 30″)

Medication bins typically come in sizes of 8.25″ wide, or 5.5″ wide. Most medical carts allow for 3 wide of the 5.5″ bins, or 2 wide with the 8.25″ bins. Vertically, medication bin cassettes are either in 6″, or 12″ vertical sizes. So a 6″ medication bin cassette will have  quantity six (6) actual 5.5″ bins ( 3 wide x 2 high). The same 6″ bin cassette could also have quantity four (4) actual 8.25″ bins ( 2 wide x 2 high).

A 12″ bin cassette could either offer quantity twelve (12) 5.5″ bins ( 3 wide x 4 high) or quantity eight (8) 8.25″ bins ( 2 wide x 4 high).

Whether your medical cart application suggests drawers, bins, or a combination of both, work within your total vertical drawer space available and design to optimize your space, storage, access, and restocking needs.

-Your Trusted Cart Advocate / tagg neal