Medical devices have various functions that can help you monitor your health condition on a regular basis, especially if you do suffer from certain conditions. Not only that, medical devices can also prevent the occurrence of conditions that can be fatal.
Everyone is encouraged to always prepare medical devices at home. This is done so that early treatment can be carried out when minor injuries occur or experience a symptom, such as fever or headache.
Not only healthy people, medical devices also need to be prepared if you suffer from certain health problems, such as asthma, diabetes, and hypertension.
Medical devices do not always have to be large, heavy, or sophisticated like medical equipment in a hospital. Some medical devices are simple and small in size, but have big functions, such as plasters.
Standard Medical Devices at Home
Anyone can get injured or injured in the house. These injuries can be sharp cuts, burns, insect bites, or sprains. Not only wounds, you can sometimes experience certain complaints while at home, for example itching due to allergies, cough, runny nose, or fever.
To anticipate this, there are several standard medical devices and medicines that should always be available at home, namely:
- Enough bandages, gauze and plaster to cover the wound
- Scissors for cutting gauze, bandages, or plaster
- Tweezers to pick up small debris stuck to the skin layer or objects that accidentally enter the ear or nose hole
- Medical gloves made of latex as PPE to clean wounds and prevent wounds from infection
- Thermometer to check body temperature
You can also supplement it by stocking up on commonly used medicines, such as:
- Cough medicine
- Painkillers and fever relievers, eg paracetamol
- Antihistamines to relieve allergy symptoms
- Antiseptic solutions, such as povidone iodine and alcohol, to clean the wound
Medical Devices for More Emergency Conditions
In addition to the simple medical devices above, some people with certain conditions or diseases should prepare medical devices as needed. Some of these types of medical devices include:
1. Inhalers and nebulizers
inhaler and nebulizer is a medical device that functions to distribute drugs through the respiratory tract and is used by inhalation. These medical devices are almost always necessary and should be available at home, especially if you have asthma.
2. Blood sugar test kit
If you have diabetes and regularly use diabetes medications, such as insulin injections, you are advised to always have a blood sugar test kit available.
This medical device is in the form of a small cordless machine that uses a battery and is equipped with a small sterile needle for taking blood samples, along with a strip to collect blood samples.
With this medical device, you can check blood sugar levels anytime and anywhere, so that blood sugar levels can always be monitored and controlled so they don't spike or drop drastically.
3. Tensimeter
Tensimeter is a medical device that serves to measure blood pressure. This medical device is important to have at home, especially for people who have high blood pressure.
With this medical device, you can monitor your blood pressure at any time, so you don't need to go to the puskesmas or doctor's office. This medical device also functions to monitor whether the hypertension treatment given by the doctor is effective in controlling your blood pressure.
4. Pulse oximeter
pulse oximeter is a medical device that serves to measure heart rate and oxygen levels in the blood. This tool needs to be available if you have certain diseases, such as asthma, COPD, stroke, or heart disease.
There are several types pulse oximeter available in the market, but the most commonly used are pulse oximeter small size used on the fingertips.
When in use, this tool displays a number in percent (%) which indicates the level of oxygen in the blood. Under normal conditions, oxygen levels in the blood are in the range of 90-92%. However, oxygen levels may decrease when you experience shortness of breath or some other signs and symptoms.
If this medical device shows that the oxygen level in your body is decreasing, you may need oxygen therapy.
5. Oxygen cylinder
Oxygen cylinders are commonly used for medical therapy for people with certain diseases, especially chronic diseases, such as asthma, COPD, stroke, and heart failure.
The doctor will determine the type of oxygen cylinder and the amount of oxygen that needs to be given if you or a family member has certain illnesses that require oxygen therapy at home.
In addition, the doctor will also consider the oxygen delivery device used. The tool can be a hose or oxygen mask.
Keep in mind that oxygen gas cylinders are flammable and explode when exposed to hot temperatures. Thus, you should not store oxygen cylinders near kitchens or near other sources of ignition.
Medical devices and the functions behind them can help you maintain your daily health and monitor the effectiveness of the treatment you are taking. Therefore, do not ignore the availability of these medical devices, if necessary.
However, before buying a medical device, it's a good idea to first consult with a doctor to determine the type of medical device you need.
The doctor can also give you instructions so that you can use the medical device correctly, and store and maintain it so that it doesn't get damaged quickly.