Medical Malpractice

Why do hospitals and gyms still use old-fashioned scales instead of widely avaiable digital scales?

I keep noticing that in hospitals, doctor's offices, gyms, etc., the old-school mechanical scales with the sliding weights are still used instead of digital scales, even though they have been around for many years, and it seems like digital scales could measure weight more precisely than the mechanical ones. So why aren't these used more extensively by people in health-related professions?

Public Comments

1. Probably to avoid the expense of having to replace the old scales. However, what is much more important than the type of scale is the calibration and accuracy of the scale whether it is a visual old or newer digital scale.
2. We do have them--I've seen them. But I suspect it's a combination of what the previous poster said about not wanting to spend money to replace them and the probability of upkeep being more expensive and problematic with the digital ones. Those old-fashioned ones are practically indestructible. It's also just not that important most of the time to be accurate within an eighth of a pound or a fraction of a kilogram, so precision is often not that big of a deal. Most modern hospital beds, though, DO have digital scales built into them, which are used to figure things like whether a patient is retaining water or losing weight, and to keep up with weights on neonates and such (and these are cases where precision might indeed matter). And it saves moving from a bed to a scale.
3. Scales in heavy use are going to lose zero. Balance scales can be reset by a simple twist of a screw on the counterweight. Digital scales may or may not re-zero themselves with the usual microchip in them. Or they may have to go back to the manufacturer. Newer isn't always better.