7 Advantages of an Undercounter Medical Refrigerator

Medical laboratories, hospitals, pharmacies, and other health care facilities depend on cold storage units to handle materials such as vaccines, blood samples, pharmaceuticals, or medications. These appliances are critical since they prevent damage and contamination and provide optimal conditions that prolong these valuable materials' shelf life.

A medical facility can face financial consequences, experience a decline in productivity, and endanger patients' lives when they lose the materials due to unreliable storage conditions. Therefore, biological products are incredibly valuable to both scientists and patients and must be handled with utmost care.

Since cold storage units are huge investments, you must ensure that you choose an appliance that is perfect according to your medical facility's needs and demands.  Although there are many options available, stakeholders in the health care industry are increasingly choosing under counter appliances. Why are these types becoming popular among laboratories and pharmacies?

Below are some of the advantages of under counter medical refrigerators:

1. Space efficient

The greatest advantage of the under-counter medical fridges is space efficiency. Generally, medical facilities face space limitations, and the little available require optimum utilization for you to operate efficiently. Space efficient fridges prevent the working area from being clumsy and cluttered considering that staff must move and work freely without interruptions.

Under-counter medical fridges are great options in saving space, and you can find numerous models. They have a smaller size than regular fridges and can fit in smaller areas where you only require the space to open their doors.  You can choose the depth that meets your storage requirements as it varies among the refrigerators.

Due to their small profile, establishment owners do not have to incur the cost of designing extra floor space to accommodate an under-counter fridge. The capacity to fit underneath counters is significant in enhancing traffic foot flow in limited spaces.

2. Easily Accessible

In a medical facility setting, an under-counter medical refrigerator allows easy access to the products stored inside them. It is ideal for storing the medications and other frequently used materials that you frequently use and re-refrigerate in the laboratory or the pharmacy since it permits quick access in a small area. They are convenient to open and close even to a person using mobility aid since they don't require access to top shelves products. Due to the ease, fast and secure access to stored products, under counter medical fridges allows you to have efficient service.

3. Environmentally Friendly and Energy Efficient

Under-counter medical refrigerators are relatively new models and come with energy star certification, thus environmentally friendly. Investing in these types of medical-grade equipment helps you reduce energy consumption in the medical facility. Besides, the materials used in manufacturing the under-counter fridges have a relatively smaller footprint.

The compactness, energy efficiency, and dual functionality of these units give you the convenience you need and value for money. Generally, there are multiple expenses in a medical facility setting, whether a laboratory or a pharmacy, thus worth saving where possible. With an under-counter refrigerator, you pay less towards energy bills and remain environmentally conscious.

4. Streamlined Look

Regardless of the facility where you will use the fridge, it is crucial to get one with a contemporary look that blends virtually with other equipment and without disrupting the design. For a refrigerator to be built into cabinets, it must have a design for that purpose. Under-counter medical fridges have a well-thought construction design to either fit snug against a wall or a cabinet. They are not meant to tower over the installed areas, thus gives your facility a streamlined and clean appearance.

The fridges are available in different materials, textures, colors and design the layout and design you desire. They could be made of aluminum and stainless steel, which assures you of durability and long lifespan. Therefore, you won't face problems such as damaging or chipping of the exterior cover. They are excellent in enhancing your laboratory or pharmacy's visual appeal and helps provide an excellent layout.

5. Easy to Clean and Maintain

Cleaning a refrigerator is essential since it maintains hygienic standards. It guarantees that the products you store in the fridge are free from contamination. Maintaining cleanliness in freestanding models might be a challenge, particularly with regular usage. But with under-counter models, it is easy to keep them clean due to their positioning and dirt-resistant material.

6. Improved Traffic Flow

If you have ever worked in a medical laboratory and other health facilities, you understand the importance of a free traffic flow. Upright fridges usually consume a lot of space and interfere with movements even if you place them in an appropriate location. With an under-counter refrigerator, you only identify a convenient location under the cabinet or counter where it fits perfectly without consuming a lot of space.

7. Efficient Stock Management

Under counter medical refrigerators, the medical staff can store the stock they require for daily use in a more compact unit. Due to the quick accessibility, the staff finds the required materials without opening the door for long, which risks internal temperature. It extends the shelf life and prevents potential contamination, thus easy to keep track of inventory since there is less accountability for material losses and replacements.

Therefore, you commit to best practices about storage, handling, and inventory, which enhance efficiency in stock and costs control. Safe storage of pharmaceutical supplies requires consistency and uniformity in air circulation. Overfilled fridges usually cause inconsistent cooling due to air circulation blockage, which leads to overworked compressors, wastage, and unsafe product conditions. Unlike freestanding fridges, under counter models pushes the heat they generate via the front side. The front-breathing features are critical in keeping stored materials in optimal condition.

The Bottom Line

Although medical refrigeration units are large investments, they offer unmatched benefits to healthcare providers. At American Biotech Supply, we commit to offering high-quality medical services. We manufacture medical refrigeration units for various health care facilities, including hospitals, medical laboratories, and pharmacies, while remaining compliant with the CDC and FDA recommendations. Contact us today for more information on medical refrigerators and freezers.