Background and Identification
Medical support equipment refers to the devices necessary to keep medical facilities operating efficiently. Medical support equipment doesn’t include clinical equipment or medical furniture, but rather devices that aren’t specific to the medical field themselves but are, nonetheless, essential. Devices like air filtration systems, commercial-industrial laundry machines, emergency lighting, medical communications systems, and medical office equipment all fall into the medical support equipment category.
Medical support equipment is not thought of to be as essential in healthcare as medical devices or medical furniture, but without an efficiently operating facility, everything would be in disarray and medical procedures would be unable to take place. Keeping the lights on, rooms cleaned, communication systems operating, food warm, and all of the behind-the-scenes maintenance going as planned is fundamental to the successful operation of any large system, especially one where time and resources can be the difference between life and death.
Medical support equipment can be identified as anything that is used in a hospital, medical office, clinic, ambulance, etc. to support its functionality. Medical support equipment is often the same equipment used in businesses or homes. The only difference is that medical support equipment is used specifically in a medical context with the ultimate goal of positively contributing to medical efforts.