FNB Houston
Medical scales
In the medical community there are many reasons that a doctor needs to have an accurate weight for the patient. It helps determine risk for certain diseases due to an abundance of or lack of body fat. It also helps the doctor prescribe the correct amounts of medication, which is especially important in children whose weight is constantly changing. There are many different ways to weigh someone. Depending on the place or reason, there are many different medical scales that can be used.
In a pediatric environment there are specially calibrated scales for newborns and infants that can weigh small people who won’t be still. They typically have a bassinet type basket to keep the baby from rolling off while trying to get a weight measurement. The scales in most doctors’ offices can detect amounts as small as a quarter of an ounce and usually top out at around 40 pounds. However, hospital grade baby scales can detect an amount as small as one gram. Pediatric and baby scales sometimes have a scale in centimeters and inches on the side where the child will be laying to help the medical professional also get a length on the child at the same time.
For adults, most medical offices and hospitals use balance beam scales for greater accuracy. Balance beam scales are the most accurate and common method of measuring the weight of a person. These scales can usually hold a capacity of 500 pounds. Sometimes workout facilities also have these scales available so people can more accurately manage their weight loss goals.
In accordance with weight loss, it is important to be able to understand body fat ratios to muscle and bone. There are special medical scales that can help a doctor determine your body fat percentage. The accuracy of these scales is sometimes questioned and most doctors rely more on average weight to height ratios to determine health.
In critical hospital situations when a patient is not capable of walking onto a scale on their own, there are special scales that can be used. There are scales that can lift the bed and patient together. While most weigh the bed and/or stretcher with the patient lying on it, some are capable of weighing only the patient on a thin plastic sheet that is placed underneath them prior to weighing. This scale attaches to the plastic sheet only and lifts the patient from the bed to obtain his/her weight using a hanging scale. The touch of a button then gives a digital readout of the patient’s weight while zeroing out the weight of the bedding.
Under that same subject, there are special scales to weigh people that reside in wheelchairs. Sometimes these scales are simply chairs that the patient can be transferred into to gain a weight measurement. These usually have a capacity of 500 pounds and can be transferred to the patient so it can be put in whatever position is easiest for the patient. There are also scales that a wheelchair can be positioned on and weighed. These can then zero out the weight of the chair – but are usually not as accurate as placing the patient directly on a chair scale.
In many circumstances, medical scales are the key to some patient’s healthcare needs. It is necessary to keep these scales extremely accurate and reliable, as well as accessible to any patient.
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