Power-Dependent Medical Equipment: A Household Backup-Contact Worksheet

Page updated October 7th, 2026

The Backup-Contact Worksheet, In Short

If a device in your home needs electricity to work — an oxygen concentrator, a CPAP or BiPAP machine, a power wheelchair, a feeding pump, or refrigerated medicine like insulin — a power outage turns into a “who do I call, and in what order” problem fast. This worksheet gives you a place to write those contacts down before an outage happens. It follows the same categories the FDA’s own home-device emergency booklet uses: your device supplier, your health care providers, your power company, and your family and friends. Fill it in once, then keep it somewhere every household member can find without power or internet.

If a Device Has Already Stopped Working

If someone’s breathing or health is at risk right now because a powered medical device has stopped, call 911 or your local emergency number first. This worksheet is for planning ahead, not for use during an active emergency.

Where This Worksheet Comes From

The FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health publishes a booklet called Home Use Devices: How to Prepare for and Handle Power Outages for Medical Devices that Require Electricity. It’s built specifically to help home medical device users organize contact information, ask their provider and supplier the right questions, and know what to do when power is lost and restored. The sections below are organized around the same contact categories that booklet uses, filled in for your household.

Section 1: Your Device and Its Supplier

Device name and model number: ______________________
Device manufacturer: ______________________
Device supplier phone number: ______________________
Where supplies are purchased: ______________________

The FDA booklet suggests asking your device supplier or manufacturer a short set of yes/no questions before an outage happens, since the answers vary by device and aren’t something a general guide can tell you:

Does my device have a back-up system? If yes, how long will it operate, and where is it kept?
Can my device run on batteries or another power source during an outage?
Could I be harmed if the device stops working, even briefly — and if so, how much time do I have?
If power is lost mid-treatment, should I restart the treatment or resume where it stopped?

Section 2: Your Health Care Providers

Doctor’s name and phone number: ______________________
Home care agency name and phone number (if applicable): ______________________
Pharmacy name and phone number: ______________________

These are the contacts to call if you notice anything unusual about your device or your medical supplies — not just for prescriptions, but for questions about what to do if supplies or equipment have been exposed to heat, cold, or time without power.

Section 3: Your Power Company and Emergency Services

Local power company phone number: ______________________
Local fire department non-emergency phone number: ______________________
Ambulance service phone number: ______________________

The FDA booklet recommends notifying your power company both when power is lost and again when it’s restored. It’s worth asking your power company directly whether they offer any kind of account note, registry, or advance-notice option for households with power-dependent medical equipment — practices vary by utility, so this is a question to ask them, not something to assume.

Section 4: Family, Friends, and a Backup Location

Family or friend contact (name and phone): ______________________
Second family or friend contact (name and phone): ______________________
Backup location with reliable power (name and address): ______________________
Transportation plan to get there: ______________________

The FDA booklet also recommends keeping a basic emergency preparedness kit on hand. The federal checklist for a general kit includes a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, a flashlight, extra batteries, and at least a several-day supply of water and non-perishable food — useful alongside this worksheet, not a replacement for it.

Checking Supplies and Your Device After an Outage

Before using stored medical supplies again, the FDA booklet advises checking that packaging isn’t torn or damaged, that items aren’t wet when they should be dry (or the reverse), and that nothing was exposed to temperatures it shouldn’t have been. For the device itself, check for visible damage — including the power cord — and confirm the settings are correct before relying on it again. If anything looks off, that’s when to use the Section 2 contacts above rather than guessing.

A Simple Decision Path

Power goes out. Check the device’s battery indicator or alarm.
If backup runtime is enough, monitor the device and notify your power company (Section 3).
If backup runtime is limited or uncertain, call your device supplier (Section 1) about backup options.
If a device or medication problem comes up that you can’t resolve yourself, call your health care providers (Section 2).
If the outage is expected to outlast your backup power, move to your backup location (Section 4) before supplies run out, not after.

Keep It Where It’s Useful

A filled-in worksheet only helps if you can find it without power or internet — printed and posted near the device, plus a photo saved on a phone. Update it whenever a phone number, supplier, or provider changes.

Evidence Limits and Sources

The contact categories and provider questions above come from the FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health’s booklet, Home Use Devices: How to Prepare for and Handle Power Outages for Medical Devices that Require Electricity. The general emergency kit items referenced come from the federal disaster supply checklist at ready.gov/kit. General emergency-preparedness context reflects the CDC’s plain-language guidance for people with disabilities. None of these sources can tell you your specific device’s battery runtime, whether your local utility offers an account note or registry for medical equipment, or how long your specific medication can go without refrigeration — those answers have to come from your device supplier, your power company, and your pharmacist or prescriber directly.

This worksheet is for general educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It does not diagnose any condition or recommend any treatment, device, or product. Confirm backup battery runtime, medicine storage limits, and utility account options directly with your device supplier, power company, pharmacist, and healthcare provider. In a medical emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number.

By the Health Within Reach Editorial Team. Last updated September 25, 2026.