If you are a practicing registered nurse, a doctor, or even someone on the hunt for a healthcare job, then you will probably be aware that there are certain medical supplies that every home should have. The utility of this not only lies in being able to treat certain minor injuries and ailments from the comfort of your home as and when they happen, but such medical supplies can also make a real difference when something very serious happens.

Of course, nobody is suggesting you should kit out your home with closet after closet of expensive and advanced medical supplies and equipment. Such an approach would naturally be impractical, expensive, and you probably wouldn’t know how to use them anyway. Rather, it’s all about striking that healthy balance between being prepared and trusting in the expertise of the professionals.

Moving Into Healthcare

As it happens, many of the essential medical supplies which homes (and, indeed, places of work, schools, and many other institutions) should have do not differ terribly much from the most basic supplies which a registered nurse away from a healthcare institution would have. Indeed, the list of essentials is in some way based upon this. A useful bonus, for budding nurses, of stocking up on these essentials, therefore, is that learning how to use them is actually the first steps to becoming a nurse yourself. Before you get onto a site like Health Jobs Nationwide, learning about the home healthcare essentials could be the first step to finding out if the career is right for you.

Home Healthcare Essentials

So, what are the healthcare items that every home should have? Here follows a list of the most important, as well as a little info on how to use them and for what:

Digital Blood Pressure Monitor

Blood pressure is one of the basic indicators of general health, so you should have a means of measuring it at home. A digital blood pressure monitor is a great device for this purpose. Digital models can keep records of the readings over a period of time, meaning those with blood pressure-related conditions can track their health without having to see a doctor or nurse.

Pulse Oximeter

A pulse oximeter is a very small device that can measure the level of oxygenation in the blood. This is a very important metric of health and has become all the more so in the age of coronavirus. It resembles a pair of tweezers and is applied to the tip of the finger. You are looking for the danger number of 92% blood oxygenation on the read out. It is at this point that medical attention will be required.

Glucometer

A glucometer is a device for measuring levels of blood sugar. It is particularly important for those suffering from diabetes but can be useful for anyone looking to keep an eye on their blood sugar levels. It takes the form of a small “pen” which pricks the finger, providing a small amount of blood to be placed onto a strip. This is then inserted in the device.

Inhaler Machine

An inhaler machine is a small device which will be familiar to asthma sufferers. If can also be incredibly useful in the event of heart and lung failure too. However, while it may bide you time in such situations, you should certainly still call the emergency services when this happens.

Collectively, these devices can be life savers for a wide range of conditions. And if you are prone to any of the conditions mentioned, then it’s all but essential that you have them close to hand in the home.