Medical supplies come in many different forms. The term – also known as medical equipment – encompasses everything from a urinary catheter to an MRI machine, from medical lasers to ventilators, blood pressure monitors and EEG machines.

Medical supplies are generally separated into several distinct categories – diagnostic, therapeutic, laboratory, monitoring, and life support.

Diagnostic medical supplies and equipment includes such items as CT and PET scans, MRI machines, ultrasound and the traditional x-ray machine, all of which are aimed in aiding with the diagnosis of any medical problems.

Therapeutic medical supplies include such items as infusion pumps, medical lasers and the surgical machines known as LASIK.

Laboratory medical supplies encompass a wide range of equipment such as those which help to analyze blood, urine or other forms of genetic samples.

Medical monitoring supplies include any equipment which helps doctors and nurses to regularly check on the condition of their patients. That includes the constant measuring of vital signs such as the heart rate, as well as other blood pressure, EEG, ECG and even the monitoring of gases in the blood stream.

Medical supplies which assist with life support include items such as anesthetic machines, ECMO, dialysis machines, heart and lung support machines and ventilators.

Some diagnostic machines are not just found in hospitals but can even be used in the home environment, for example someone with diabetes can have medical equipment on hand to both test their blood sugar level and even have emergency equipment on standby in the event of a crisis.

In the more common hospital environment, medical supplies and equipment obviously need to be continually monitored and maintained to ensure they are performing their tasks correctly. For this purpose, hospitals employ specialist staff for this very purpose, generally referred to as Biomedical Equipment Technicians (BEMT), but also known as either Biomedical Engineering Technologists or Biomedical Equipment Specialists. These technicians are directly responsible for ensuring all such equipment is functioning properly, repairing them when they are not up to code, as well as advising and training staff members on the correct use of the devices. In addition to hospitals, Biomedical Equipment Technicians are also employed in clinics, the military and the private sector.

Another important worker in the field of medical supplies is the Medical Materiel (also known as a “Loggie”). These workers are employed to maintain computer and manual records of all the medical supplies in the organization, and are responsible for the safety of controlled items such as drugs, as well as ensuring stock control levels remain appropriate.