Clinical Tip: A hitching post for wandering ophthalmoscopes and otoscopes

Ophthalmoscopes and otoscopes are always hard to find on a busy hospital pediatric unit. Carrying an otoscope-ophthalmoscope set around with you is cumbersome, and units purchased for common use often disappear faster than they can be replaced. A wall-mounted unit is not practical because one cannot be placed in every patient room, and not every patient can be taken to the treatment room for examination. Our solution: We have mounted several otoscope-ophthalmoscope units on sturdy IV poles, which can be wheeled to the patient's room and plugged in. The mobile units are convenient and cannot disappear easily.

Kathryn Moffett, MDMorgantown, W.Va.