Choosing the Right LCD Monitor for Your Medical Application: 6 Things Every Medical OEM Should Know

First, it is essential to assess the operating environment of the medical device. Medical devices used in busy labs and operating rooms are often subject to blood and other fluids as well as strong cleaning chemicals. You must assess the amount of water, humidity, and dust that will be present around the device and how those factors could affect its operation.

Many medical-grade monitors are designed to prevent the ingress of liquids, dust, and dirt. The international standard EN 60529 (British BS EN 60529:1992, European IEC 60509:1989) defines Ingress Protection (IP) ratings. They are used to identify levels of sealing effectiveness of electrical enclosures against intrusion from foreign bodies and moisture. IP54 and IP65 are common for many medical applications. You will need to determine what level, if any, is necessary to ensure the dependable operation of the LCD.

Another important consideration related to the environment of the application is touch technology, if needed. There are 4 common touch technologies available in the market: Resistive Touch, Projected Capacitive Touch (PCAP), Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW), and Optical (Infrared and Visible Light).

• Resistive systems are low cost and reliable. They react to touch from almost anything (finger, credit card, screwdriver, etc.). This is why you see resistive touch systems in many areas where gloves are worn or there is an excess of dirt and grime. Resistive touch is not always an option because it falls short in optical clarity.
• PCAP systems are incredibly durable and cost-effective. However, the touch may be hard to activate in wet environments or with thick gloves.
• SAW systems are durable and offer very high image clarity but are more costly than resistive solutions. Liquids or substances can sometimes trigger false touches or block out areas of the screen.
• Optical based systems are also more expensive but have the highest image clarity of all touch technologies. This technology requires a frame around the display, which may make it impractical for smaller sized displays. The sensitive interface makes it prone to false touches due to liquids, dirt and other types of buildup.

You can learn more about the variety of touch technologies used today in our blog: Top 4 Touchscreen Technologies for OEMs.

In medical applications, image quality requirements are based on precision. In applications like Genomics, Life-Science and Pharmaceutical brightness, contrast, color depth and viewing angles are critical for the medical professional to interpret the images correctly. Compliance with international image quality standards like DICOM Part 14 grayscale standards is required for most medical imaging equipment. Poor image quality can lead to inaccurate diagnosis and is therefore critical to performance. You must have a clear understanding of all of the image quality requirements before selecting a monitor.

In addition to standard safety and emissions requirements for electromechanical devices, the medical industry requires OEM’s to comply with stringent regulatory standards like IEC 60601-1. We recommend working with a manufacturer that understands the industry and can recommend the right solution to fit your needs. Failure to comply with these regulations can jeopardize shipments to specific regions and even shut down production lines.

In many regions, achieving regulatory certification like 510k from the FDA can be resource-intensive, time consulting, and costly. Once certified, even a small revision-level change can trigger a new approval process. You can avoid this expensive problem by selecting long-life products. Many manufacturers purport to offer long-life products, so take the extra time to verify they have manufacturing controls in place to manage the configuration to the revision level. Look for a manufacturer with a robust product life cycle (PLM) process, controlled by quality processes and procedures.

Many of our customers require some level of branding and customization to ensure a consistent look with their medical instrument. We suggest working with your marketing and engineering teams early in the process to define these requirements upfront. Display manufacturers often have high minimum order quantities for customization, and some won’t do it at all. Of those that do, their capabilities in the United States may be limited. Many are manufacturing overseas and don’t have the cleanroom facilities or skills to customize locally. We recommend finding a partner that has capabilities in your region, if only for contingency purposes during production.