Every piece of equipment your agency buys is an investment in both the long-term growth and viability of your company and the health of the people you serve. This latter piece of the puzzle can be difficult to quantify. After all, it’s hard to assign a value to saving and improving lives, greater effectiveness among your employees, and in many cases, reduced workplace stress and trauma. Yet every agency must operate under budget constraints, acting as good stewards of whatever budget they have. So how much should you invest in portable suction machines? As with most expenditures, there’s no single figure or percentage that will apply to every organization. Here are some factors to weigh when making your purchase.
Life-Saving Potential
A portable suction machine offers little value if it doesn’t improve patient outcomes. The device’s life-saving potential is therefore perhaps the single most important factor to assess. Consider how often your agency works with patients in need of suctioning, your maximum suctioning capacity, and any care gaps. Then purchase with the goal of saving lives.
Agency-Specific Needs
Every agency treats a different patient population. Some must spend much more on emergency suctioning equipment. Special populations that may need more frequent suctioning include:
- Trauma patients
- People on ventilators
- Surgical patients, including emergency surgery patients
- Neonates, especially in maternity and neonatal intensive care units
- Elders and nursing home patients
- People with chronic respiratory disorders
- People with spinal cord or traumatic brain injuries
The more high-risk patients you have in your larger patient population, the more heavily you must invest in emergency suctioning.
Cost Savings in Other Areas
Portable emergency suction machines can offer significant cost savings, especially if you invest in the right equipment. Some potential cost savings include:
- Decreased legal costs and lower overall liability. If you save more lives, then you will face fewer lawsuits. This could even mean a reduction in insurance costs.
- Lower wall-suction costs. A portable emergency suction machine is highly versatile, and may reduce your expenditures on wall-mounted suction units.
- Reduced medication and surgical costs. Prompt suctioning reduces morbidities that may necessitate surgery and costly medications.
- Shorter patient stays. Hospitals that promptly intervene to prevent aspiration and other emergencies may see shorter patient stays. That reduces healthcare costs while enabling you to treat more patients.
- Reduced staffing expenses. Portable emergency suctioning is easy for a single team member to use. Because it is also highly effective, it reduces the need for secondary procedures and for multiple teams. This may help you reduce your workforce.
When weighing costs, factoring in cost savings is also important, so look realistically at other areas where the right set of machines can help you slash expenses.
Workplace Stress
Medical professionals, particularly first responders, face very high rates of workplace stress. More stress means more stress-related problems, such as high turnover, chronic illness, and burnout. Having the right equipment readily accessible eases the stress your team faces. The higher the stakes and the more job trauma affects your employees, the more you should consider investing in portable emergency suction.
Overall Value
Ultimately, when budgeting for a portable emergency suction machine, you must weigh cost against value. The most worthwhile machines are those that deliver reliable, consistent suction, that work well with attachments you already have on hand, and that retain a lasting charge. These devices will serve your patients, save lives, and make your team’s work measurably easier.
For help choosing the right combination of machines to suit your needs, download our free guide, The Ultimate Guide to Purchasing a Portable Emergency Suction Device.
