3 Questions To Ask When Buying A Veterinary Patient Monitor
A veterinary patient monitor is a crucial part of your veterinarian clinic. Without it, assessing your patient's heart rate, blood pressure, and other vitals will be challenging. There are several decisions that need to be made when buying a monitor. To help you decide which is best for your clinic, here are some questions to ask while shopping.
Will You Travel with the Patient Monitor?
Veterinary patient monitors come in several styles including handheld, portable, and tabletop. You must decide which type is right for your business. Your clinic's setup and budget plays a major role in which type is best.
For instance, a handheld or portable is good for going from room to room. If you only have one monitor, there could be delays in treating patients as you and other health professionals in the clinic will need to wait for the person using the monitor to finish before it is available again.
You also have the option of choosing a tabletop patient monitor and setting up a room in the clinic. This offers a central location in your clinic for patients to be seen.
Should You Buy New or Used?
If your clinic has a limited budget, buying a used veterinary patient monitor could make financial sense. You also have the option of taking those savings and applying it towards an additional monitor for your clinic.
However, there is a drawback to buying used equipment. The monitor likely will not have the same lifespan as a new one. Depending on its condition, you could be in the market for another monitor sooner than expected.
A new monitor has the benefit of a warranty, and with care it can last a considerable amount of time. There is the issue of the price, but the use that you get from the monitor can make the price a sound investment.
What Features Do You Need?
There are several features that are available with veterinary patient monitors. Each feature offers its own benefits. Before you buy the monitor, take the time to think about what features you need in it.
For instance, some monitors are wireless, which allows for control using an app and the transmission of data without the need to print out the results or record them by hand. The wireless monitor also eliminates the need for cords hanging around the office. The cordless setup means that you and your staff can use the equipment without restrictions.