Healthcare facilities include, but aren’t limited to, nursing homes, hospitals, and out-patient surgery centers. There are many health and safety hazards associated with these places. The potential hazards include exposure to dangerous airborne germs and viruses, exposure to bodily wastes and fluids, among others. This is why there is certain medical equipment that every healthcare facility should have on hand.
Important Medical Equipment for Healthcare Facilities
If you deal with the elderly or sick people in general, it’s important to have the right medical equipment. Since you never know what may happen, it’s good to keep a wide variety of items on the premises. Here’s a list of common medical equipment that’s good to have at healthcare facilities such as nursing homes and hospitals.
- Wheelchair. The wheelchair is a very popular piece of medical equipment. Wheelchairs are used quite often in the daily operations of many healthcare facilities. They’re not only used for people who can’t walk, but they’re also used to transport patients from one place to the next. Although automatic wheelchairs are available, healthcare facilities always use manual wheelchairs.
- Blood pressure monitor. This is necessary to check a person’s blood pressure. It’s also used quite often in healthcare facilities. Depending on the size of the facility, more than one blood pressure monitor will be needed. If you’re using it for home care, you may only need one. There are two types of blood pressure monitors: manual and automatic.
- Gauze, tape, and bandages. These are used to care for burns, cuts, bruises, sprains, and breaks. No healthcare facility should be without a large supply.
- Bedpans and urinals. These allow bedridden patients to use the bathroom without needing to be moved.
- Latex and vinyl gloves (sterile and non-sterile). These help protect hands from being exposed to dangerous germs and bodily fluids. They also help reduce the chances of cross-infecting patients. These gloves aren’t reusable, and should be disposed of following use.
- Thermometers. The thermometer is also an important piece of medical equipment. It’s often necessary to get a temperature reading, and you can’t do it without a reliable thermometer.
- Disinfectants. It’s important to keep the facility and yourself as clean as possible. Disinfectants to have are hand sanitizer, antibacterial soap, antibacterial wipes, sprays, and cleaning and sterilizing solutions.
- Braces, crutches, medical collars, and splints. These items have different purposes, and are a must have for all healthcare facilities.
- CPR equipment and heart monitors. These are vital pieces of equipment. Healthcare facilities should have enough equipment for more than one patient at a time.
This list isn’t all inclusive. There are many more pieces of medical equipment that healthcare facilities should have. The purpose of this article is to provide a basic overview of the type of medical equipment any well-equipped healthcare facility should have. Of course, the type of equipment you need may depend on the type of care you provide. However, there are some pieces of equipment that are generally needed for most healthcare facilities.