Things to Consider before Buying Used Medical Equipment

Most of us may not afford to buy a new medical equipment at the beginning of medical practice, especially general physicians, and also people who opt for home medical equipment. Therefore, buying used medical equipment is a sensible and wise choice.

We have to be careful while selecting used equipment, because suppliers may mislead us about the product. Here is some information that will help you while buying a used medical equipment.

Purpose of buying – Make sure you are clear enough about the purpose of buying the used medical equipment. It should be specific to your requirement such as oxygen concentrators for oxygen supply. Make sure to check your budget, and and the equipment is suitable for use.

Working condition – Make sure that it is in working condition and can be used for long time. Generally, equipment that are not working properly are sold at cheaper rates, people get attracted most of the time and buy. Therefore, be careful in selecting the equipment, even if you have to spend some extra dollars, see that you get the best used equipment.

Quality – When buying, see the appearance of the equipment, olden days equipment can be easily figured out, avoid buying them. Today equipment have special features that were unavailable in the past. If you have relevant knowledge, it makes easy to judge the quality of the equipment.

Cost – Compare prices of used equipment from different sources. Also take suggestions from people who are in regular touch with distributors in the market. Generally low quality and old used equipment are available at a cheaper price when compared to equipment that are less used. Batter to opt for the ones that are less used.

Safety – Some equipment may be damaged when with high voltage, specially electrically operating ones like X-ray machine, monitors, etc. Ask concerned person to check electrical safety before buying the equipment.

Services – Service centers for the repair and maintenance of old equipment may not be available. It is better not to buy such equipment. Choose equipment that have maximum services available.

Proper handling – Selecting the best used equipment is not enough, you should also know how to handle it properly. So proper knowledge about its usage is necessary. In case of hospitals, people handling medical equipment should be trained in handling them. Education and awareness programs should to be conducted.

Before buying used equipment, take suggestions from people who have knowledge of them. This will help you in choosing the right equipment.