Most Popular Medical Scales
Scales have been used since the beginning of medicine. They are important benchmarks of an individual’s health. This doesn’t just mean how much a patient weighs, but also their percentage of body fat and how their weight relates to their height and age. Scales determine how much sedative a patient needs if they’re under anesthesia, and what type of prosthetic an amputee may require. While these devices may seem simple, they are crucial for quality healthcare.
Because of their versatility, scales come in many shapes and sizes. Some exist to weigh biological material or medicine components in a lab; these are typically incredible precise and require frequent calibration. Some are fitted onto beds for patients that are non-mobile. Others are fitted for infants or the elderly. Below, we list some of the most common types of medical scales.
Floor Scales
The floor scale is the most basic form of a scale. In fact, many individuals have floor scales within their own homes. These scales are the easiest to understand; the patient steps onto the scale and can view their weight on a digital or non-digital monitor.
In healthcare facilities, these scales are typically more accurate and can measure height at the same time. These scales have to be frequently calibrated and maintained as they are used frequently.
Wheelchair Scales
Wheelchair scales are important for both individuals who regularly use a wheelchair and those who need one temporarily after surgery.
These scales are large, flat, and can accommodate a wheelchair being rolled onto their surface. They work by automatically separating the weight of the wheelchair from its rider.
These scales are manufactured by companies such as DETECTO, Health O Meter, and Rice Lake.
Pediatric Scales
As infants are typically under 20 pounds and cannot stand for the first few months of their lives, babies require specific scales until they are large enough to use adult ones.
These scales are highly accurate due to the low weights that they measure. They are important for grouping babies into weight percentiles; weight percentile for children is important for tracking their growth and development.
These scales typically work by allowing the infant to lie down or sit. Some scales can be submerged in water to give the infant a more enjoyable experience.
Pediatric scale manufacturers include Goodtime Medical, Tanita, and Health O Meter.
Laboratory Scales
Laboratory scales are highly regulated and frequently maintain. This is because these scales are not used to weight patients; they are used to weigh biological and chemical materials that are put into vaccines, anesthetics, and antibiotics among other things.
Laboratory scales typically include a glass or plastic cover over the scale portion, as air or material in the air getting into the scale can result in an inaccurate measurement. These scales measure far more than two decimal places past the whole number weight, and can measure incredible tiny amounts.
Laboratory scales are found both in research hospitals and private labs, and are usually referred to as analytical balances due to their versatile and scientific nature. Some manufacturers of these scales include Veritas, Mettler Toledo, and Adam Equipment.
Mortuary Scales
Hospitals typically include a morgue. This is where the bodies of patients go after death. There are also private morgues where autopsies and embalming happens.
As morbid as a morgue is, they require scales as well. In autopsies, this may reveal if anything untoward happened to a patient before their death. In general, this is used in medical records and to do due diligence on a body before it is reclaimed by a family.
Mortuary scales can be hydraulic in nature, and are easy to maneuver a body onto. They may be a flat surface or an elevated surface with a ramp. While these scales are not necessary in private morgues where bodies are beautified for a funeral, they are frequently found in hospitals.
Bed Weighing Scales
Much like the previously mentioned scale, bed weighting scales are either flat or have a ramp so that a stretcher can be wheeled onto them. These are large scales due to the fact that patients come in all shapes in sizes. These can be found in hospitals, or more frequently at nursing homes where many patients are bed bound or resistant to using a lift to get onto a floor scale. Much like all other medical scales, these devices must be frequently calibrated and maintained.
Bed weighing scales are manufactured by a variety of companies; popular bed weighing scales are made by Doran, Uline, and Fittrack.