Tips for Choosing the Right Healthcare Equipment

As a healthcare provider, the type of equipment you purchase is one of the most important decisions that you will make. The quality of equipment can have a considerable impact on the level of patient care that you are able to provide. Healthcare environments — whether hospitals, clinics, or aged-care homes — also need to be approached from a business perspective. Equipment is expensive and you need to be confident that your investment will last a long time.

With many healthcare equipment suppliers on the market, it can be difficult to decide on your preferred provider. Fortunately, Paragon Care has put together a list of factors that should be considered before making your final decision.

Quality of equipment

Quality is arguably the most important consideration when purchasing equipment. Equipment is not an area in which you should be looking to cut costs — the health and wellbeing of your patients depend upon it.

Look for equipment that is durable, compliant with government regulations, manufactured by a reputable company, and comes with full warranty.

Setting considerations

It is important that you approach equipment purchase with full knowledge of your healthcare environment. In the case of a hospital, this includes ward size and storage facilities. You should also know what kind of power resources you have at your disposal — if your device requires constant charge, make sure there will be enough powerpoints available.

When thinking about setting, you should also consider what kind of personnel will be using the equipment. Ideally, look for equipment that is easy to use and does not require extensive training to operate.

Cost

A healthcare facility is a business. While patient care will always be the top priority, operational and financial factors must be taken into account when making any type of significant purchase, including equipment.

Quality equipment will cost more. However, it is far more financially effective in the long-run to pay extra up-front rather than having to continually service and replace equipment.

Customer satisfaction

When looking to work with a new equipment supplier, customer reviews are your best friend. Ask around — ideally other healthcare facilities of a similar size and situation — for recommendations and do your research online before reaching out to suppliers.

It’s also a good idea to speak with the supplier themselves to check what experience they have and whether they understand the types of challenges, constraints, and opportunities that your facility is facing.

After-sales support

Purchasing equipment is a complex, multifactorial decision making process. One of these factors is the type of after-sales support that your provider offers.

Healthcare equipment — as is the case with all types of equipment — will break down. When that happens, you want to be sure that your supplier is available to offer timely repairs and replacements. A non-functioning medical device has a significant impact on patient waiting times and so it is important that equipment is repaired on-site as soon as possible.

Paragon Care — your choice in equipment provider

As a leading provider of healthcare equipment, Paragon Care understands the types of challenges and opportunities that our customers are currently facing. Our equipment is sourced from reputable, quality manufacturers and we offer extensive after-sales support.

You can be confident that our equipment is durable and built to last. Our product range extends from critical care products to veterinary equipment, and we offer medical consumables to be used in all types of situations.

If you are a healthcare professional and are interested in viewing our full product portfolio, contact us today.