Knowledge of medical equipment

Medical technology is that branch of medicine that deals with the technical apparatus associated with the treatment and diagnosis of diseases and medical conditions. Most hospitals and private nursing facilities have medical equipment consisting of machines and technical devices to detect and monitor any irregularities in a patient's medical conditions. A biomedical equipment technician (BMET) is generally hired by the hospital to maintain medical equipment for medical facilities.

Medical equipment may consist of laboratory instruments and devices to analyze the composition of urine, blood, fasces, or semen. Medical monitors can be used to predict a patient's medical status by measuring parameters such as blood pressure, ECG, EFG, and dissolved gases in the blood. Diagnostic equipment is made up of medical imaging machines like those used to help diagnose a condition. Such devices include ultrasound, MRI, and X-ray machines, and PET and CT scanners. The therapeutic apparatus consists of infusion pumps, medical lasers, and LASIK surgery machines. Life support devices are used to maintain the bodily functions of those affected in a period of severe medical crisis. These will include devices such as the following: ventilators, anesthesia machines, heart and lung machines, ECMO, and dialysis medical equipment.

The field of medical equipment is advancing rapidly and the frontiers of medical research are constantly expanding to incorporate increasingly sophisticated technology. It shows an enormous scope to develop better and improved machines to reinforce health and medicine as science. Radiography, electrocardiograph, endoscope, ultrasound, computed tomography and the artificial heart are inventions that have revolutionized medicine in a phenomenal way.

Often, under financial considerations, it is not possible to carry out long-term treatment of a patient in an official medical center such as a hospital. This is when the Home Medical Equipment (HME) comes into play. The patient is cared for by a family member or anyone other than a medical professional qualified in their nursing knowledge. It is also known as durable medical equipment or DME in medical language, as it is designed to withstand regular and repeated use by the patient or caregiver. Common home medical equipment includes easily visible and recognizable appliances and devices such as a wheelchair, crutches, diabetic shoes, artificial limbs, and not-so-easily-visible but essential aids such as a nebulizer, nasal cannula, orthosis. Such devices can only be used on the recommendation of a physician and approval and can only be purchased with a prescription. The purchase should be made at a nearby pharmacy to ensure 24-hour access to replacement or new purchases should the need arise in the event of an emergency.

Medical equipment supplies are governed by the field of medical logistics. It consists of the supply and distribution of pharmaceuticals, surgical devices, medications, medical equipment, and other devices to physicians, nurses, technicians, and laboratory analysts. After personnel costs, medical supplies are the most expensive area of ​​the healthcare sector, which explains the adoption of supply chain management theories to reduce costs.