What Is a Health Instrument?

What Is a Health Instrument?

A health instrument is a device that monitors, measures or records some aspect of a patient’s state.health instrument Devices range from a simple thermometer to sophisticated computerized MRI scanners that can produce three-dimensional images of the patient’s brain, spine or other organs. Some devices are used in hospitals or other formal healthcare facilities; others can be found at home, as consumers increasingly seek ways to take control of their own health and well-being. Advances in medical technology make it possible for patients to use many of the same health instruments as professionals; however, some consumer devices require special training or knowledge of the device’s use to operate safely and effectively.

Thermometers are perhaps the simplest health instrument, measuring a patient’s body temperature using either mercury or the Celsius scale.health instrument Thermometers have been in use since Galileo first recorded the principle in 1610. Blood pressure meters use a pump to restrict blood flow through an arm cuff, recording pulse waves produced as the blood swells up during each heartbeat (systole) before returning back into the heart during the diastole phase. Blood sugar level monitoring devices, such as glucometers, measure the amount of glucose in a blood sample with a simple finger prick. Pulse oximeters measure oxygen levels in the blood to detect conditions such as sleep apnea.

Other devices such as electrocardiograms or stethoscopes record electrical signals within the heart and can identify abnormalities such as irregular heart rhythms or coronary artery disease.health instrument Some of these medical devices are now being offered as wearable health technologies that can be worn as smartwatches or in other forms of personal technology. Remote patient monitoring devices allow clinicians to access real-time data and take immediate action to improve care.

Medical devices can be complex to learn and operate for laypeople or health care professionals who are not familiar with them. To reduce errors and improve the usability of these devices, human factors engineering offers principles that can be used to help manufacturers design safer, more user-friendly products.

Medical device instructions and labeling must be designed for non-healthcare professional users, who have different education and knowledge levels than those who work with these devices in a hospital setting. If the device’s instructions are not clearly written, it is more likely that users will need to call their doctor’s office or a manufacturer customer service line to get assistance; this can increase costs and lead to unnecessary use errors. It is also important that users can easily clean and sterilize their device, and if needed, replace batteries or other components, and perform basic maintenance tasks. It is preferable for these activities to be facilitated by intuitive user interfaces and self-checking features that minimize the need for manual intervention. For example, a hematology analyzer may be programmed to display results automatically and provide an alarm when test results are outside of a desired range. This can significantly decrease the need for staff to manually log and review test results.