What Are the Common Tools & Equipment in the Health Field?

There are several careers in the health field. Yet it may surprise you to learn that certain tools are used by almost every healthcare provider. A specialist might require a more expensive version of a tool than a generalist, but they often have overlapping equipment. Learning the names of these tools and their uses is helpful for patients and those looking to enter a medical field.

Stethoscope

• The stethoscope is used to amplify heart sounds and other noises.

  A stethoscope is probably the image most associated with medicine. Whether shoved into a white coat pocket or worn around the neck, few healthcare providers leave home without it. The stethoscope is used to amplify sounds that a doctor wants to hear--such as a heartbeat, breathe sounds and stomach noises.

Pressure Cuff

• This manual pressure cuff can be used to measure a patient's blood pressure.

  A pressure cuff is used to measure a patient's blood pressure. The cuff wraps around a patient's arm and inflates, placing pressure on the arm. With a manual pressure cuff a physician, nurse or technician reads a pressure monitor to determine the patient's blood pressure. With a digital cuff a machine takes the measurement and flashes it on a screen. This tool helps physicians ensure the heart and blood vessels of their patients are functioning properly.

Otoscope and Opthalmoscope

• This little girl is looking through an otoscope.

  An otoscope is used to look into a patient's ears while an opthalmoscope is used to look into a patient's eyes. Both contain a small flashlight with a lens on top. The physician peers through this lens and receives a magnified view of your eyes or ears. Specialists may have fancy versions of these tools but a general practitioner usually has one base--which contains the flashlight--to which they attach either an otoscope or opthalmoscope lens piece.

Reflex Hammer

• Your pediatrician used to bang your knee softly with a funny rubber hammer--it's called a reflex hammer. When it is tapped against a nerve, such as the one in your knee, it causes you to make an involuntary movement. This helps physicians, nurses and therapists determine that your nerves are functional.

Light

• Shining a light on this eye would cause the pupil to contract.

  Most health providers carry a small light. They shine the light into a patient's eyes to watch pupils contract. This helps physicians and nurses check a patient for brain damage and other dangerous conditions.