Recommendations on Standards for the Design of Medical Diagnostic Equipment for Adults with Disabilities, Advisory Committee Final Report

4.5 Weight Scales

Clinicians should periodically weigh all patients. Weight is a critical risk factor for many health conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, and certain cancers. For clinicians to counsel patients effectively about disease prevention, health promotion, and maximizing wellness, they therefore must know patients’ weights. In certain circumstances, such as setting chemotherapy dosages, weight is often a critical measurement. Without an accurate and current weight measurement, chances of missing diagnosis or incorrectly prescribing medications increase.

Obtaining an accurate weight is difficult if patients cannot stand on a scale without supports or assistance with balance. Wheelchair users, in particular, confront serious barriers to weight measurement. An accessible weight scale that can accommodate a wide range of patient populations and mobility devices solves that problem. Current scales with some accessible features come in various configurations, including wheelchair weight scales with single ramps, dual ramps, stand-on scales, and wall mounted scales with a folding platform. However, very few scales currently on the market are accessible to people who use wheelchairs or scooters.

The goal of the recommendations for weight scales is to accommodate the broadest range of individuals and mobility aid users. All standard size manual wheelchairs, powered wheelchairs, small to mid-range scooters, and most extra wide manual chairs can be accommodated through the Committee’s recommendations (see Section 5). However, some of the larger roadside scooter models, typically a 4-wheeled base scooter, may not fit onto the recommended platform size.

Sometimes scooter users are expected to be more mobile than wheelchair user and be able either to walk onto a scale or transfer to a stationary chair on a scale for weight measurement. However, not all scooter users can easily transfer from their scooters. Therefore, the Advisory Committee considered the likelihood that transfers for scooter users may be equally difficult as for individuals who use manual or power wheelchairs.

Alternative types of equipment that have integrated scales – such as examination tables, stretchers, portable lifts, and overhead ceiling lifts – can offer an effective means of taking a patient’s weight. Such equipment with integrated scales can eliminate the need for weighing the patient on a scale. If a patient transfers onto an examination table with an integrated scale, the clinician can also measure the patient’s weight as part of the physical exam. This would be convenient if the patient were already planning to get onto the examination table with an integrated scale. The medical diagnostic equipment accessibility standards that apply to exam tables and stretchers will also apply to such devices with integrated scales.