Med Cart: Smarter Drug Rounds, Safer Storage

Most hospital carts are still stuck in the past. Basic lock-and-key setups or shared PIN codes that everyone knows (and no one changes). Not exactly the gold standard for safety, right?

Kinetic ID’s Med Cart fixes that. It’s a smart, secure drug dispensing cart designed specifically for healthcare teams who are done dealing with battery failures, guesswork, or access control issues.

In fact, if you’re looking to replace an outdated medication cart or a clunky workstation on wheels (WOW), this is probably what you’ve been waiting for.

What Makes It Different?

Unlike your typical “Computer on Wheels” (COW) or “WOW”, this one actually thinks. Every drawer is controlled by intelligent electronic locks. You can unlock them with a touchscreen, keypad, or RFID, each assigned to a specific person. Not a generic code.

Everything’s logged. Every drawer. Every time. So if there’s ever a question about who accessed what, when, and for how long, you’ve got it.

Designed with NHS Trusts (Not Just For Them)

Kinetic ID developed the Med Cart in collaboration with several NHS trusts, so it’s not “off-the-shelf.” It’s built around real-world NHS challenges in pharmacy storage and ward-based medication administration:

• Shared PINs? Gone. Staff use personal access methods, so there’s no more pass-the-code culture.

• Dead batteries? Not here. No more fiddling with AAA batteries at the worst time.

• Unlocked drawers? Automatically secured. Controlled access means nobody forgets to lock up.

How It Works

Each Med Cart runs off an onboard PC that manages access. That means:

• You can set drawer permissions by role, person, or shift.

• Access happens through a touchscreen, barcode, password, or RFID card.

• It links directly with EPMA (Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration) systems if needed.

So, you don’t just know who opened a drawer. You know why, when, and how long they had it open.

Where You’ll See the Med Cart in Action?

Let’s map it out. These smart medical carts are already used in a wide range of healthcare settings:

1. ‍On the wards: For nurse-led drug rounds or patient self-administration workflows.
2. ‍Theatre recovery: Especially useful for secure dispensing of controlled substances post-op.
3. ‍Clinical rooms and day units: Where tight control and medication traceability matter.
4. ‍Discharge lounges: Helping patients manage their meds safely before heading home.

Whether you call it a medication trolley, medication dispensing cart, or mobile medication cart, this one’s built for the job.

Why Teams Actually Like It

Because it’s:

1. Faster: No codes to remember, no keys to lose.

2. Safer: Each drawer logs exactly who accessed it.

3. Flexible: Need 3 drawers or 9? Touchscreen or RFID? You choose.

4. Cleaner: Sleek, flat, easy-to-clean design. Nothing hanging off the sides.

5. Fail-safe: If all else fails, there’s a key override. You’re never locked out.

Who’s Using It?

These aren’t future customers. They’re already on board:

• Bradford Teaching Hospitals

• Doncaster and Bassetlaw

• Morecambe Bay

• Princess Alexandra

• Barking, Havering and Redbridge

• Swansea Bay University Health Board

Doncaster alone has rolled out over 60 carts. That’s not a pilot. That’s a proven rollout.

Real Use Cases

• Ward-based dispensing for temp staff? Covered.

• Secure pharmacy storage with audit trails? Yep.

• Drug rounds with individual drawer control? Absolutely.

• EPMA integration to log everything in real time? Built in.

This is point-of-care medication dispensing that meets modern expectations.

FAQs: Let’s Make This Easy

1. ‍What is a smart medical cart for hospitals? It’s a secure, electronic medication cart used by hospital staff to store and dispense drugs safely. Unlike traditional trolleys, it offers real-time logging and user-specific access. ‍
2. How do smart medication carts with RFID work? Each drawer is locked and controlled by an onboard system. Hospital staff can unlock them using RFID wristbands, personal passwords, or a touchscreen interface. ‍
3. Where are medical carts used in healthcare? They’re common in hospital wards, theatres, discharge lounges, and clinical rooms—anywhere secure and traceable drug dispensing is needed.
4. ‍Why move away from shared PIN-code carts? Shared PINs mean no accountability. Smart medication carts ensure traceability and eliminate risks from passcodes that everyone knows. ‍
5. Is this compatible with EPMA or other hospital software? Yes. It integrates with EPMA and other digital systems to track access and streamline administration.
6. ‍What happens if the electronic system fails? No panic. A mechanical override key is always built in. ‍
7. Who typically buys these in a hospital? Procurement teams, pharmacy managers, or digital transformation leads looking to replace old-school carts with something smarter.

You don’t need another metal box on wheels. You need something that’s smart, reliable, secure, and actually built for how hospitals work today.

That’s what the Med Cart is. A modern hospital medication cart for a smarter NHS.

→ Book a demo or learn more here.

‍