In medical device manufacturing, a seemingly simple component like the keyboard can spark fierce debates. However, those components can be what sets you apart from the competition. Every choice, from the material to the key travel, can have an influence on healthcare workflow, patient health, and a company’s bottom line.
To navigate these critical trade-offs, medical device manufacturers must weigh four main keyboard features that are at the heart of the design debate.
1. Sealed vs. Non-Sealed: Hygiene vs. Usability
Sanitation and workflow efficiency are two competing priorities that define the discussion between sealed and non-sealed keyboard designs. To understand the trade-offs between the two designs, it’s a good idea to compare their benefits and limitations.
Sealed keyboards
- Smooth, continuous surface that is easy to wipe down and disinfect
- Ideal for sterile environments like operating rooms and ICUs
- Prevent the buildup of bacteria and viruses in hard-to-reach crevices, increasing patient safety
- Often sacrifice the familiar feel of physical keys
- Lack tactile feedback needed to reduce keystroke errors
Non-sealed keyboards
- Satisfying key press and tactile feedback for fast and accurate “no-look” typing
- Reduce errors and improve workflow efficiency due to their tactile feedback and familiar key press
- Gaps and crevices between keys can harbor pathogens, creating an infection risk
2. Full Travel vs. Low Travel Keys: The Feel of the Key
How much key travel is ideal for medical device keyboards?
The question centers on the physical movement of the keys. Full travel keys provide a distinct, familiar tactile response, making them comfortable and easy to use for extended data entry. They are the workhorses of typing. However, they could complicate cleaning efforts, depending on the rest of the design.
Low travel keys, often found in a membrane design, offer a compact profile and are easier to keep clean. While they may lack the inherent tactile feedback of their full travel counterparts, modern designs can incorporate haptic feedback to simulate a key press.
Innovations like haptic feedback are bridging this gap, allowing OEMs to offer a modern, hygienic design without sacrificing the user experience.
3. Premium vs. Cost-Saving Materials: Durability vs. Budget
Material selection plays a key role in a medical keyboard’s enduring performance, especially when faced with constant exposure to harsh chemical disinfectants.
Premium materials are resistant to degradation, maintaining their integrity over time without cracking or becoming porous. This minimizes the risk of component failure and ensures the surface remains easy to clean.
Cost-saving materials, while reducing the initial bill of materials, often degrade with chemical exposure. This can lead to a porous surface that harbors bacteria, creating a significant infection control problem and potentially requiring more frequent replacement, negating the initial cost savings. Since the keyboard is the main interface for people to interact with your product, you don’t want it to be a source of frustration that reflects poorly on your brand.
A reputation for quality is built on reliability. With durable accessories, your brand can build a reputation for having medical devices that are built to stand the test of time.
4. External Certification vs. Internal Validation: Trust and Liability
What is the most effective method to ensure an accessory is truly medical-grade? The answer often lies in weighing two primary approaches: external certification and internal validation.
External certification, from a third-party body, provides crucial assurance of safety and performance standards. Consider IEC 60601, for example. This internationally recognized standard specifically addresses the electromagnetic compatibility of medical electrical equipment. It sets strict requirements and tests to ensure that medical devices function safely without interfering with — or being interfered by — other critical electronics in clinical settings.
This level of external certification builds trust with regulators and end-users, which can streamline the OEM's regulatory approval process. However, this path can be more expensive upfront.
Internal validation, where an OEM sets its own standards, is more affordable and allows for greater design flexibility. The risk is significant, however. The term "medical-grade" can be misleading without third-party backing, increasing the OEM's liability and making it harder to convince regulators and end-users of the device's safety.
The Final Consideration: Your Brand’s Reputation
Ultimately, these debates highlight the complex trade-offs that medical device OEMs must navigate. The right choice is a strategic one, tailored to a device’s specific application and user.
For a mobile cart in a bustling ER, speed and usability may be paramount, while a stationary device in a sterile lab might demand the highest level of hygiene.
The debates around sealed vs. non-sealed, premium vs. cost-saving, and internal vs. external validation are not just about features. They are about the very identity of a medical device and the promise it makes to clinicians and patients.
OEMs must ask themselves: how can our machines earn a reputation for quality that healthcare leaders trust?
Want more information on keyboards for medical device manufacturing? Visit our panel-mounted keyboards for OEMs page.
If you have any questions about our panel keyboards and how they can integrate with your design, contact our team and we’ll quickly respond with the answers you need.
