Over the years remarkable development and stunning innovations have been made in the field of medical equipment. Today home-use medical equipment has become a specialized discipline. In the backdrop of Corona pandemic, this field has grabbed unprecedented attention. In the changing scenario, the use of home medical devices are on the rise. Hence it is essential to understand the basics of some of the critically important medical equipment used at home. This blog cover the following important areas for your convenience:
- What is a medical device?
- What is a home-use medical device?
- What are the most common acronyms used for home-use medical equipment?
- Why home-use medical equipment are important?
- Do the users of home medical equipment need proper training?
- Why demand of home medical equipment is on the rise?
- What are the top 10 home-use medical equipment?
- Where can you easily find the best medical equipment for home use?
These important areas are further elaborated in the following section:
What is a medical device?
A medical device is any product, device or equipment used to diagnose a disease or other conditions, to cure, to treat or to prevent disease. Whereas, some of the examples of home healthcare devices are ventilators and nebulizers (to help breathing), wheelchairs; blood glucose meters, apnea monitors, and other home monitoring devices.
A medical device is an instrument, apparatus, implement, machine, contrivance, implant, in vitro reagent, or other similar article that is intended for use in the diagnosis of diseases or other conditions, or in the cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease. There is a laundry list of medical equipment used in different disciplines and in a variety of specialities. Here the focus rests on those medical equipment which are used for health care at home only.
What is a home-use medical device?
A home-use medical device is a medical equipment intended for users in any environment outside a professional healthcare facility. This includes devices intended for use at homes specifically. Here the user means a patient (care recipient), caregiver, or family member that directly uses the device or provides assistance in using the device.
Home-use medical equipment is any product or equipment used in the home environment by persons who are ill or have disabilities. These persons, or their providers of care, may need education, training, or other healthcare-related services to use and maintain their devices safely and effectively in their homes or other places such as work, school, college and universities.
A home medical device is a device intended for use in a nonclinical or transitory environment, managed partly or wholly by the user, requires adequate labelling for the user, and may require training for the user by a health care professional in order to be used safely and effectively.
Home use medical equipment is a category of devices, equipment and instruments used by patient himself or herself at home or used for patients whose care is being managed at home or other personal facility managed by a nonprofessional caregiver or a family member.
What are the most common acronyms used for home-use medical equipment?
Globally, the acronyms of DME- Durable Medical Equipment, HME- Home Medical Equipment and DMEPOS: Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies: are used to describe medical equipment for use at home
On the other hand, medical supplies of a disposable nature, such as bandages, ace bandages, heating pads, snakebite kits, rubber gloves and irrigating kits are not considered to be Durable Medical Equipment although these are conveniently and frequently used at home.
Why home-use medical equipment are so important?
The use of home medical devices is getting an increasingly important element of a home healthcare regime. Regarded as durable medical equipment, these are long-lasting in nature. These home healthcare devices are designed to withstand repeated use by non-professionals or the patient him/herself and is considered best for use in the home. The special features of durability, user-friendliness, ready availability and low cost have multiplied its importance.
Do the users of home medical equipment need proper training?
With the advent of the new technological revolution, innovations in the field of medical equipment, and inherent sensitivity involved in the field of home healthcare, it is critically important for the users to receive regular training and proper education to ensure that they are capable enough to use home medical devices proficiently.
Why demand of home medical equipment is on the rise?
As the corona pandemic has changed the entire landscape of the health care management system, changes in the health care have moved care from the hospital environment to the home environment. The formal health care system has become increasingly stressed, patients are being released from hospitals and other health care facilities. These, patients moved to the use of home health care services not only for recuperation but also long-term care, and the medical devices necessary for their care have also followed them.
Moreover, the increasing cost involved in professional health care and the long-term nursing care at the hospital is becoming increasingly unaffordable, demand for home medical equipment is on the rise. Recently some home medical devices have been produced as consumer products enabling people to manage their own health care more conveniently and independently and inexpensively. Since, complex medical devices are in frequent use at homes, which in turn have implications for the safe and effective operation of these devices, especially those with sophisticated requirements for proper operation and maintenance, it is becoming increasingly important to buy only those medical equipment for home use which are user-friendly, portable and their accessories are readily available.
What are the top 10 home use medical equipment?
There is an exhaustive list of medical equipment for use at home which is ballooning with each passing day, however, here is a list of the top 10 home use medical equipment:
- Gun Thermometer
- Blood pressure monitor
- Nabulizer
- Massage Machine
- Blood Glucose Monitor
- Pulse Oximeter
- Weight Machine
- Wheelchairs
- Walker
- Breast Pump
Where can you easily find best medical equipment for home use?
The suppliers of medical equipment for use at home can be found conveniently and some specialty shops can also be found on the internet. However, a new revolution in the home medical equipment arena is the advent of internet retailers who have lower operating costs so they often sell equipment for lower prices, but lack the ability to offer in-home setup, equipment training and customer service.
A detailed list of home-use medical equipment is available here:
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