Coronavirus Lockdown 4.0 | Here is a list of essential medical gadgets to have at home

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With novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, pandemic not showing any signs of ending soon, people may be confined to their homes for much longer. These gadgets can help keep track of your health and minimise risk of health-related complications. They will help cut frequency of your visits to diagnostic labs and doctors.

Here are some essential gadgets to have at home

Weighing machine It's the most basic and essential gadget to have at home. It helps you track your weight. Staying at home means less physical activity and accumulation of calories. Excess weight increases the risk of heart diseases and diabetes. There are both analogue and digital weighing scales available in the market. Digital scales have high accuracy as compared to an analogue scale. Prices range between Rs 500 to Rs 5,000.

Thermometer Another important device to have at home is thermometer. Elevated body temperature or fever is a sign that something out of the ordinary is going on in your body. This is more important in the backdrop of COVID-19. For children a slightly elevated temperature may indicate a serious infection. A good thermometer will read your temperature accurately. These days all kinds of digital thermometers are available online and offline. The simple one costs Rs 100 to Rs 300 while a contactless thermometer using an infrared sensor would cost Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000.

Blood pressure monitor A blood pressure (BP) monitor is the most convenient gadget to have at home, especially if there are people at home with a chronic problem like hypertension. Keep a record of the BP measurements and share it with your family doctor. It helps him to prescribe the right medication. There are wide range of BP machines available and range from Rs 500 up to Rs 3,000.

Glucometer With India being the diabetes capital of the world. Glucometer is the must have device at home if there are people suffering from diabetes. They are reliable and easy to use, just a finger prick. It's important to check blood sugar before fasting and after fasting. Maintain a record. Knowing blood sugar helps people to manage their diabetes much better. Glucometers are available from Rs 500 to Rs 2,000.

Pulse oximeter A pulse oximeter is a small, lightweight clip like electronic device used to measure the pulse rate and monitor the amount of oxygen carried in the body. There is great demand for pulse oximeters due to COVID-19. Silent hypoxia where the oxygen levels of the people fall to dangerous levels, even without them looking or feeling uncomfortable, has been a major symptom in COVID-19 patients. If people are detected early, they could be kept off from ventilators. The cost of a pulse oximeters ranges between Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000.

Nebulizer A nebulizer is an inhalation medical device that's important to have if you have a child or a person with asthma or another respiratory condition. The device helps administer medication directly and quickly to the lungs. Having this device at home helps you to cut the number of visits to clinics. Nebulizers cost about Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,000.