Three Important Things To Take Into Account When Acquiring Weight Scales For Health Care
A weight scale is typically a fundamental piece of medical equipment in any hospital or doctor's office. Accurately measuring a patient's weight gives doctors some important insights and helps with diagnosing patient conditions.
Unfortunately, many health care facility managers overlook the importance of getting the right scales because this piece of equipment might at first seem less vital than other more technical pieces of medical equipment.
However, there are some important considerations that shouldn't be overlooked when weight scales are purchased. The following are three of the most significant factors to consider:
Ease of sterilizing to control infections
One of the most important concerns in a hospital or doctor's office is controlling infections. Care must be taken to ensure that patients don't actually face a health risk because of coming in for health care services.
Weight scales need to be easily disinfected. This is especially true on surfaces of the scale that patients are likely to touch.
Two things to look for when looking for scales that won't be prone to passing infections are silver-based antimicrobial handrails and antimicrobial powder coatings. These features will constantly cut down on microbes that could pass infection even when the scale's surfaces are not being cleaned.
Accuracy at both higher and lower weight ranges
A variety of different types of medication are prescribed based on patient weight. This makes accuracy at all ranges of the scale important. An improper dosage of a medication can compromise a patient's health.
Searching for accuracy in a health care scale is important, but it's also important to make sure a scale is used properly to avoid weight inaccuracy. After acquiring scales, directions should be posted at scales describing how the scale should be calibrated. Then, scales should always be calibrated any time a patient is weighed.
The need for constant calibration to ensure accuracy means that the ease of calibrating a particular scale model is an important consideration. Look for models that can be instantly and accurately calibrated at the touch of a button.
Prevention of patient falls
If you're servicing elderly patients at your facility, you know how difficult even the most routine procedures can be. Mobility issues can make it difficult and dangerous to get an elderly patient or a patient who has been weakened by illness up on a scale.
Nowadays, there are scales designed for health care that avoid fall risks by combining a low weighing platform with railings that allow a patient to support himself or herself without compromising the accuracy of the scale's reading.
For more information about weight scales and other equipment important for your facility, check out http://www.medirents.net.
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