In case you didn’t know, DME stands for durable medical equipment.
There’s a reason they call it durable. DME is used dozens, if not hundreds of times before it is thrown away, stripped for parts, or recycled.
We at WilBea find it important to make sure that the quality of DME is maintained as long as possible.
The following are steps you can take to preserve each piece of equipment so that you and the patient can get as much use of it as possible.
*Don’t treat it as durable medical equipment.
Treating DME with care also rubs off on your patients. Caring for the equipment goes hand in hand with caring for the patient. The equipment company relies on hospice to help monitor their equipment when it’s at a patient’s house and let them know about an equipment issue.
*Make sure your DME buys quality equipment.
Higher quality equipment goes longer before having to repair or replace it and actually costs less over time compared to their cheaper counterparts. Is it more expensive? Of course. Is it worth spending the extra money? Most of the time, yes. We invest time and energy into giving patients the best service possible. Why not invest the money to sure they get the best equipment? Our hospice partners are benefiting from quality equipment, are you?
*Learn how to wrap cords.
DME is only as good as its power source. Nebulizers, oxygen concentrators, LALM pumps, and bed motors all have cords which, if not handled properly, can cause equipment to break down. Wrapping cords so that they are secure avoids the possibility of a cord getting bent, broken, cut, or frayed. Always be mindful of location of cords, especially when it comes to beds. Being mindful of where the bed is relative to the outlet can help you avoid ruining a cord.
*Check the details.
A loose bolt can ruin a wheelchair and a hole in a filter can damage an oxygen concentrator. Checking all the pieces (big and small) will help solve problems before they occur. Hospices are on the front line of preventable equipment issues and it is in your and the patient’s best interest to communicate those issues (big or small) to your equipment provider.
*Test, test, and test again
When equipment arrives, it needs to be tested for functionality by the equipment personnel who deliver it. If a hospice worker is present during delivery, they should make sure the equipment personnel test all equipment before they leave. This not only assures the family that the equipment is functional, but also allows them to ask any questions on how to operate it. We at WilBea do this with every patient and our hospice partners benefit from this additional peace of mind.
*Know the equipment.
Make sure to keep up to date with the equipment. Ask for more information about a piece of equipment if you have trouble remembering. For a hospice professional, knowledge is power and the more you know, the more you can help the patient.