Since time immemorial, healthcare for patients has relied heavily on the effectiveness of medical devices. The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Corporation defines a medical device for home use as a device designed for users in a nonclinical or transient setting operated partially or entirely by the user (American Nurses Association, 2006). Medical devices include simple items such as tongue depressors, ventilators etc. Currently, much of healthcare has moved from the hospital setting to the home setting. According to Dressler (1988), the use of advanced medical technologies at home is constantly increasing and this trend is expected to increase rapidly in the future. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The shift in healthcare services for recovery and long-term care has made the use of medical devices absolutely indispensable! In the United States, no more than 7 million people benefit from home health care. According to (Dumais, 2003), complex medical devices are frequently used in homes and, unfortunately, they are often used inappropriately! Most healthcare professionals do not have the prior knowledge needed to handle home medical devices and this has made operating and maintaining these devices daunting! as device failures, user errors, environmental eventualities and electromagnetic interference resulting from mishandling these devices have had painful consequences! Since 1997, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration has reported over 20,000 adverse incidents resulting from improper use of medical devices (American Nurses Association, 2006). In a survey conducted by the National Home Hospice Care, it was found that approximately 1.4 million patients received home health care services from approximately 7,200 agencies. In light of these growing issues, the international regulatory community and the medical device industry have taken initiatives to improve home care. A significant portion of the U.S. population with chronic diseases depends on daily home health care. Furthermore, patients discharged from hospital continue to take their medications at home and without adequate home medical care they risk suffering immensely! In addition to being convenient, medical devices are truly convenient and effective. Telemedicine and wireless monitoring devices, for example, have allowed healthcare providers to observe and communicate remotely with home care recipients. Robotics and electronics, on the other hand, have enabled the use of automated care with less need for a doctor's intervention (Konecny, 2003). Please note: this is just an example. Get a customized document from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay As a home medical device user, it is imperative to ensure that your home medical device is functioning properly and that you are able to handle it when eventualities arise! The FDA recognizes the importance of safe, high-quality home health care and medical devices that meet patients' needs at home (Rowell, 2003). To support the safe use of medical devices at home, the FDA urges home device users to always ensure they adequately understand how the devices work. As a precautionary measure, it is recommended to read the manuals before using a device. Checks are necessary.