October 29, 2024- For many years, Americans have all used scales that are NTEP certified when buying bananas at the store, since it’s critical for the weight to be accurate between the buyer and seller of the bananas. And yet a pediatric scale weighing a baby or a physician scale weighing a patient before surgery for assigning dosages isn’t held to the same criteria as a bunch of fruit or vegetables.
DETECTO has received NTEP (National Type Evaluation Program) approval administered by the National Conference on Weights & Measures for most of the company’s major medical scales. This verifies from a regulated governing body that DETECTO scales are manufactured to the highest accuracy and quality possible for medical scales used to treat patients.
Medication errors, including dosing errors, significantly impact the US healthcare system, according to the National Library of Medicine:
- Costing $21 billion annually
- Causing 7,000 to 9,000 deaths per year
Using an NTEP-certified medical scale can significantly reduce the risk of preventable dosage-related medical errors that heavily impact the US healthcare industry every year. DETECTO is the only medical scale manufacturer with US compliant scales held to NTEP weights and measures standards. This NTEP accreditation means DETECTO scales have been subjected to 100,000 weighing cycles and maintained strict accuracy in a variety of testing temperatures.
Medication errors can occur due to:
- Confusing units (kilograms vs. pounds)
- Calculations due to inaccurate weight measurements
DETECTO protects the patient and medical organizations against both of these issues:
- OneWeigh units locking into LBs or KGs
- NTEP certified weighing accuracy
Dosage liability risks can be lowered by using a DETECTO certified NTEP medical scale:
- Adverse Drug Event (ADE) Costs: $2,000 to $9,000 per incident.
- Extended Stay Readmissions Costs: $5,000 to $10,000 per extended stay.
- Percentage of Medication Errors: Around 15% to 25% of medication errors are linked to incorrect dosages.
Accurate patient weighing plays a critical role in ensuring correct medical dosages, especially in pediatrics and oncology. An NTEP-certified medical scale provides highly accurate and consistent readings, crucial in medical settings where precise weight measurements are necessary for patient care and medication dosing. DETECTO is the only medical scale manufacturer offering nationally-regulated, NTEP-certified medical scales. Why trust the most important thing in life with anything less: the life of medical patients.
For more information and to see the full selection of NTEP certified medical scales, please visit the DETECTO landing page.