List Of 8 Basic And Easy To Use Health Diagnostic Kits To Keep At Home

Human beings can not be healthy all the time. And worsening health conditions do not start overnight. The state of worsening health conditions starts gradually until the body is brought to a virtual halt. Worsen health conditions affect various aspects of human life, including productivity and interpersonal relationships. However, keeping certain basic and easy to use health diagnostic kits can help detect a sick condition long in advance before the sick condition worsens. Though these kits are very easy to use at home with little or no orientation, they can be the game changer in curing or treating a yet to be serious sickness. The easy to use basic health diagnostic kits to keep at home are as follows.

1. Weighing scale: Anyone who is able to count numbers would be able to use weighing scales. The weighing scales measure the weight or mass of individuals. The weight of humans can signal a lot of possible health-related issues that the person could suffer. Keeping an eye on a person’s weight by weighing oneself at a regular interval could save an individual from certain health conditions that can become severe. Being overweight or underweight both presents a health situation that must be dealt with. Therefore, checking weight regularly can reveal the direction of the weight that ought to be corrected before it becomes an issue. Keeping a weighing scale at home would enable an individual to monitor his or her weight regularly rather than wait to visit a health facility to check the weight.

2. Glucometer: Glucometer is a simple kit that verifies the glucose/sugar levels in the body. The readings from the equipment can reveal whether the level of glucose in the body is low or normal or prediabetic or diabetic. Regular readings of the glucometer can also reveal whether the readings are swinging, or moving from one level to another. Moreover, there are some glucose/sugar level tests that must be done after long hours of eating called fasting blood sugar, mostly done early in the morning before taking breakfast. Owning a glucometer at home can assist an individual to conduct this test without waiting for extra hours at health centers on an empty stomach. Owning this kit can also improve a person’s chance of testing and detecting diabetes at its early stage before it becomes worse.

3. Thermometer: An equipment that is used to check the temperature of people can be used for several purposes when kept at home. Apart from the thermometer being used to check the temperature of children regularly for possible remedies before the situation worsens, checking the temperature can also reveal the ovulation period of women, since the temperature of women peaks during ovulation. Thermometers come in different forms and shapes that can be easy to operate. While some thermometers (mercury thermometers) are kept under the armpit, others are digital and the temperature of the body can be checked from any part of the body. Virtually, no complicated training is needed to operate thermometers.

4. Pregnancy test kit: Why go to a health facility only to confirm your joy or fear of a pregnancy? You may not be satisfied with your celebration or cry out on confirmation of a pregnancy. With a simple kit called a pregnancy test kit, people will be able to confirm whether they are pregnant or not at home, in their comfort and privacy. The information needed to interpret the results is simple and it also costs even less than transportation fares.

5. Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) kit: Malaria is a common sickness in certain parts of the world, like Africa, and parents do not hesitate to self-medicate on the assumption that every rising temperature is associated with only malaria. The RDT kit is equipment that is used to diagnose malaria sickness. The kit, which is very cheap at a fraction of most malaria drugs, can first be used to confirm a malaria condition for any possible self-medication at home, even though health conditions are well advised to be reported at health facilities to avoid late reporting of its complications.

6. Digital BP Apparatus: Blood Pressure Apparatus is used to check the blood pressure of people. Though the analog apparatus is complicated to use and needs special training, the digital apparatus is very simple and easy to use. Individuals only need to place their hand in the scarf that will be folded/adjusted on the arms and any other activity is a mere pressing of digital buttons on the equipment. Though the equipment is relatively more times than transport fares, it is easy to use at home. Also, since the equipment can be kept at home for many years, the benefits of using the equipment to monitor one’s blood pressure conditions regularly without spending hours at hospitals to check BP outweigh its cost.

7. Protein test kit: Protein test kit, which looks like a cut piece of hard paper or like litmus paper, has the ability to detect whether there is a presence of protein and/or glucose in a urine when the paper is dipped in the urine. Though very cheap to acquire, the detection of protein in the urine is a signal for too much protein consumption or pregnancy or urinary tract infection or kidney problems. Also, glucose in the urine could also signal diabetes or kidney disorder etc. All the conditions associated with the presence of protein and/or glucose in urine could be very devastating when the condition is not detected early. Therefore, owning this protein test kit at a very cheap price to use at home is worth more than is known.

8. Pulse oximeter: This simple equipment, when fixed to the fingers like a clump, can check the pulse and respiration of the individual. Pulse, which is a heartbeat per minute, can be an effective tool in diagnosing heart-related conditions. This equipment can easily be used at home and it is relatively affordable as well.

By: Saah Irene (RGN)

About Author

Educativenews

See author's posts