a stethoscope laying on top of a medical chart.
Home Medical Supplies

What Medical Supplies Are Needed for Home Hospital Care?

SonderCare Learning Center

Whenever it comes to your family member’s home hospital, gathering home medical equipment and materials are crucial. But knowing where to start and where to allocate your funds is difficult even for skilled caretakers. While it really depends on your budget, how efficiently you’re able to secure medical supplies, nurses and physicians can help you make a list of essentials to shop for. Also, you have to take into consideration your loved one’s comfort during daytime hours and most importantly during the night when they lay down to rest and recuperate. That’s why relaxation or mobility tools such as wheelchairs, beds and chairs often come to mind first when discussing home medical supplies. Read on to learn more about what What Medical Supplies Are Needed for Home Hospital Care?
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Learn About Medical Supplies For Your Home Hospital

Securing Quality Home Medical Supplies Is Easier Than You Think

Deciding to care for a patient at home is not easy. You will need to consider having, among other things, home hospital supplies, established emergency systems, as well as sleeping and mobility modifications, to ensure that your home hospital care is viable.

Quality home hospital supplies are the cornerstone to your loved one’s recovery. These medical items help home health caregivers manage acute and chronic medical conditions and give the patient proper care and supervision.

Nowadays, it’s fairly easy and convenient to get basic home medical equipment, such as oxygen supplies, IV, or NG tube supplies. Online stores such as sondercare.com have an ever growing home medical supply inventory. They can also come straight to you if you order from the right suppliers. Even some larger equipment items like our line of home hospital beds can be delivered and installed conveniently by delivery personnel.

Basic Home Hospital Supplies

You can avoid unnecessary trips to specialist care by getting the correct medical inventory but it also helps you enjoy the added benefit of saving plenty of money shopping in advance. Unfortunately, people often overpay for home medical items because they get them in a panic or when they’re ill prepared. When health conditions eventually come up, you will also think less about “what ifs” and have more conviction in your ability as a caregiver.

If you are in the process of procuring medical equipment and home health supplies for your patient, one of the essential items is obviously a first-aid kit. But beyond these basic medical kits there are so many other essential items:

  • Adhesive tape
  • Aluminum finger splints
  • Antibiotic ointment
  • Antiseptic solution and towels
  • Bandage strips and bandages in assorted sizes
  • Cotton balls and cotton-tipped swabs
  • Disposable non-latex gloves
  • Eyewash solution
  • First-aid manual
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Hydrogen peroxide
  • Instant cold packs
  • Petroleum jelly or another lubricant
  • Plastic bags
  • Safety pins in assorted sizes
  • Scissors and tweezers
  • Sterile saline 
  • Superglue
  • Syringe, medicine cup, or spoon
  • Thermometer
  • Turkey baster (for wound flushing)

To accompany your first-aid kit, you should also have OTC medications that can enable you to administer immediate care. Notable OTC medications and remedies include aspirin, aloe vera gel, anti-diarrhea medicine, calamine lotion, antacids, antihistamines, cough medicines, and laxatives.
You may also include OTC pain relievers, such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen. Remember, do not give ibuprofen to patients with respiratory conditions as it may worsen the symptoms, and do not give aspirin to children, hemophiliacs, or adults taking blood-thinning medication. And we urge you to follow doctor instructions for every medical decision you are about to undertake.

Advanced Home Medical Supplies

If you have a long-term patient under your care,, a basic medical kit will not be enough to meet all their needs. You may need to consider getting specialized home hospital supplies that can enable you or home caregivers to give the patient the care they need in the comfort of their home.
Some essential pieces of equipment to consider include:

  • Audiometer or tympanometer
  • Autoclaves 
  • Automated external defibrillators 
  • Blood pressure monitor 
  • Bodyweight scales
  • Color-coded bio-hazard bins and bin liners
  • Colposcopes 
  • ECG unit and its accessories
  • Emergency medical equipment — aspirators, oxygen, and resuscitation masks
  • Exam and procedure tables 
  • Lab diagnostic equipment — centrifuges; blood chemistry, glucose, or urine analyzers; a microscope, and a small refrigerator 
  • Protective equipment or PPE — disposable aprons, eyewear, gloves, face shields, and facemasks
  • Pulse oximeter
  • Sharps containers
  • Unique home hospital beds such as those supplied by SonderCare
  • Specialized lighting
  • Specialized monitoring equipment — spirometer
  • Stainless steel containers
  • Step stools
  • Stethoscopes

Purchase these items from hospital-approved suppliers to ensure that they are in good condition. These suppliers will deliver the items straight to your door, making it easy for you to receive them, particularly if you do not have a loading dock.
Speak to your health professional to get supplier recommendations.

Auxilliary, Luxury Care Items and Home Medical Furniture

  • A SonderCare Home Hospital Bed
  • SonderCare Lift Chairs / Stand Assist Chairs
  • SonderCare Overbed Tables
  • Cabinetry, recovery room dressers/side tables and storage shelving
  • Eye charts and medical guides
  • Janitorial equipment
  • Portable toilets

Most patients who need body weighing scales are likely obese; you might want to upgrade to a unit that can take a weight of up to 1000 pounds. You may also do well to consider weighing scales with an anti-microbial coating to limit cross-contamination.
Other auxiliary home hospital supplies that may not have a direct medical function, but can make caring for your patient easier include:

  • Anti-microbial cleaning agents
  • Break room appliances — separate coffee maker, microwave, and fridge-freezer
  • Clock
  • Computers, printers, and accessories
  • Disposable anti-microbial wipes
  • Telephone
  • Television
  • Wall decorations, especially for pediatrics
  • Water filtration system 
  • Wheelchairs

Using Home Medical Supplies Effectively and Safely

The range of medical equipment now available for use in non-clinical environments ranges from simple such as the ubiquitous first-aid kit, to the complex, such as ECG units.

While some devices can be used outside the hospital or hospice by professional home health caregivers, many of these devices are only suitable for hospital and hospice use. 

As such, home health caregivers must carefully handle these devices to ensure they are effective, safe, and usable in the home to care for every type of patient. You should also follow manufacturer instructions to avoid harming the patient and damaging the equipment. 

Be sure you check your first-aid kit regularly to replenish used supplies and replace expired products or batteries. 

Manufacturers of care products and high-quality medical goods such as home hospital beds, which is the speciality of the team here at SonderCare, are now more available than ever to help you order online and speak to you directly about your needs. Our team works hard to make sure that everyone searching for the best home medical products is given all the information they need to make informed decisions about their home care needs. 

If you’ve got a question about securing key home medical supplies and equipment such as beds, chairs and hospital-style tables, reach out to us immediately so we can do what we can to get you and your family on the road to recovery.

Frequently Asked Questions About Buying Home Medical Supplies

Doctors note/order, Medicare/Medicaid, regional and national medical insurance programs, local lenders and seeking out deals or seasonal savings for out of pocket purchases are the ways that people typically pay for their home hospital supplies.

Common medical supply items include consumable medical supplies (also referred to as disposable supplies), materials and tools for diagnosis and testing, patient monitoring equipment, supplies for acute care, surgical supplies, supplies for home health care, supplies for diabetics, electronic and life-saving equipment, as well as hospital beds and furniture.

Devices and materials ordered for daily or extended use by a health care provider is considered DME (Durable Medical Equipment). Examples of this include: devices for oxygen, wheelchairs, leg braces or diabetic testing tools.

Related Home Medical Supplies Purchasing Resources

Start Your Home Hospital Care With SonderCare

Are you recently discharged from hospital, experiencing mobility issues, or in need of palliative or senior care? Enjoy a smoother recovery and get the luxury you deserve by choosing our home hospital products. Contact us today to discuss home hospital beds, mattresses, stand assist chairs and other accessories to make your home hospice perfect for a truly comfortable experience.

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