Most mission hospitals are a mix of different patient monitors, each requiring various cables. Our favorites for medical missions are the GE DASH and Philips MP monitors. Mass-produced and widely used throughout US hospitals, these monitors are reliable and accurate, despite being older models now being replaced by newer products. Ensure the monitor includes the necessary modules for the specific parameters you need to monitor.

 

At Giving Tree, we also install and promote central monitoring systems to display all patient vitals on one computer. This is a significant project, but our goal is to make this technology easily accessible to every mission hospital.

In the realm of vital signs monitoring, technology for reading SpO2, BP, and HR has not changed significantly. Consequently, even off-brand consumer-grade companies now produce accurate medical-grade patient monitors.

 

Contec has evolved from basic consumer SpO2 devices to monitors suitable for the mission field. While they are more affordable, service, repair, and accessories are not easily replaceable, placing them second on our list. Unlike our top choices, Contec monitors do not offer central monitoring capabilities.

We include these monitors for reference and do not recommend them. These latest models come with high price tags, even fetching between $2000-$8000 used. We frequently exchange these for bulk lots of our newer monitors, which can outfit an entire ward for the price of one high-end monitor.

 

Our one recommendation is that if you are involved in heavy critical care and have the capital, it might be worthwhile to keep a few high-quality brand-name critical care monitors for precise patient monitoring. However, this is rarely the case in mission field hospitals.

 

By selecting the right equipment and ensuring proper maintenance, we aim to provide reliable and efficient patient monitoring tools for mission hospitals, balancing cost and functionality for optimal outcomes.