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Why medical facilities are standardizing to metric measurements, and how KG-only scales can aid in the transition.
For many years, U.S. medical facilities have used the imperial system (pounds) to measure patients’ weight. It’s not uncommon for hospitals to use the imperial system when weighing patients, but then switch to the metric system for medication dosing. Dosing is based on the patient’s weight in kilograms, so if the weight is recorded in pounds, it will need to be converted.
This often causes confusion and can lead to potentially fatal dosing errors. For example, an article published in the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Advisory found that in more than 25% of 479 reports submitted to the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority, errors occurred when the patient’s weight, measured in pounds or kilograms, was incorrectly recorded as the patient’s weight in kilograms or pounds, respectively. 1 Utilizing an EHR system also increases the possibility of a mistake, as the system may have default values not standardized to one unit of measure.
Due to the risks associated with using both the imperial and metric system, medical facilities are choosing to standardize to the metric system. Organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended hospitals and healthcare facilities to only use the metric system to avoid confusion over patient weights and medication dosages.2
As part of metric standardization efforts, facilities are evaluating their current scales and their weight unit functionality. Though most scales offer a unit lock function, it can be inadvertently unlocked by staff. For optimum safety and security, many providers are now requesting kilogram-only scales, with no pounds (LB) option. Utilizing a scale that only offers weight measurements in the standardized unit can help eliminate confusion or mistakes.
Always striving to meet the needs of healthcare providers and make their workflow weigh easier, Health o meter® Professional Scales offers kilogram-only scales for the entire continuum of care including, physician stand-on, large platform, wheelchair, and pediatric scales. For organizations that are unsure of future standardization requirements, select Health o meter® Professional scales offer Everlock®, an exclusive patent-pending feature that allows a scale to bepermanentlylocked in KG or LB units, with no risk of accidental unlock. Everlock® can be activated at the time of first use or when the need arises.
Sources:
- Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority. (2009). Medication errors: Significance of accurate patient weights. Pennsylvania Patient Safety Advisory, 6(1), 10–15. Retrieved from http://www.patientsafetyauthority.org/ADVISORIES/AdvisoryLibrary/2009/mar6(1)/Pages/10.aspx
- https://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20150501/NEWS/150509993/a-gram-of-prevention-providers-urged-to-go-metric-to-avoid-medication-errors
- Johnson JA, Bootman LJ. Drug-related morbidity and mortality: a cost-of-illness model. Arch Intern Med. 1995; 155:1949- 56.