Health Imperatives: 10 Australian Medical Supplies All Hospitals Need

The Australian hospital is an institution that must always be prepared for unprecedented situations. There are always new and challenging scenarios presented to our doctors, surgeons, paramedics, nurses and other staff that require urgent treatment with the best equipment available.

Our hospitals have to be ready to handle whatever comes through the door and at any time, and for this reason it’s vital to keep the very best medical equipment on-hand to provide the very best care for patients.

Naturally, to ensure this happens, there is a list of bare essential Australian medical supplies that a hospital needs to keep handy. These essentials include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Stretchers

The stretcher has long been imperative for transporting patients during an emergency. This piece of equipment is vital and in great abundance, as emergency situations occur at all times and require fast and efficient patient transport.

  • Surgical tables

Simply put, you cannot perform surgery without a surgical table. When it comes to patient preparation, procedures and post-procedural recovery, these tables are vital and provide the most efficient platform for safe treatment.

  • Blankets/fluid warmers

Body temperatures that are poorly maintained throughout a procedure can lead to post-surgical issues such as prolonged hospitalisation and hypothermia, as well as an increased risk of infection. That’s why fluid and blanket warmers are imperatives for hospitals to have on-hand in any procedural situation.

  • Defibrillators

This imperative piece of equipment is utilised in life-threatening situations like tachycardia and cardiac arrhythmias, and are used to restore the heart to its normal rhythm. They are vital pieces of equipment that Australian hospitals always need in sheer abundance as cardiac problems are increasingly common.

  • Anaesthesia machines

Anaesthesia machines are produced to provide an accurate and constant supply of gas to maintain a patient’s anaesthetic level. Typical anaesthesia machines include tools such as suction units, patient-monitoring devices and ventilators.

  • Patient monitors

Patient monitors are typical pieces of hospital equipment that provide an accurate record of a patient’s state of health and condition after an emergency situation. They are vital for neonatal, paediatric and adult patients.

  • Sterilisers

Hospital sterilisers are designed to kill all microbial life including spores, viruses, fungi, bacteria and other entities that are found in medical-grade equipment. Autoclave sterilisers are designed to provide high-pressured saturated steam to ensure the equipment is properly cleaned for use.

  • EKG/ECG machines

Electrocardiogram (EKG) machines record the heart’s electrical activity over a period of time and allow medics to monitor the heart’s overall rhythm and identify any present abnormalities.

  • Electrosurgical units

Electrosurgical units are designed to cut, coagulate or potentially alter tissue, as this can limit the amount of blood flow to an affected area so that the surgeon can view the area more clearly. The equipment is vital for minimising and cauterising blood loss throughout a surgical procedure.

  • Surgical lights

Surgical lights are an essential part of any surgical procedure as they help surgeons see exactly what they are doing throughout the procedure.

Naturally, this is just the tip of a very large iceberg of essential Australian medical supplies needed in a hospital environment. Without these imperative pieces of equipment, Australian hospitals would not be able to run efficiently and our standard of health care would be far lower than the high standard it is today.

For this, it is essential that hospitals remain fully stocked with this equipment to continue ensuring this standard of healthcare.

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