The Pros and Cons of Electric Medical Exam Tables

Choosing the right medical exam tables for your practice is no small feat. Ideally, you need tables that keep your patients comfortable while helping your staff do their job more efficiently.

An electric medical examination table can be a good choice depending on your practice’s needs. Read on to learn more about the pros and cons of electric medical exam tables to determine if they would be beneficial in your office.

Pros of Electric Medical Exam Tables

Power exam tables can be easily adjusted with the push of a button. These are a handful of the benefits of this type of treatment table:

Support More Patients

One of the most important advantages of power medical equipment is the ability to make height adjustments. By lowering the table closer to the ground, you can instantly make the table (and therefore your services) more accessible to different patients. This includes:

• Bariatric patients
• Individuals with disabilities
• The elderly

The ADA National Network explained that exam tables used in most doctors’ offices are typically designed at a fixed height of 32 inches. This height makes independent transfer difficult (or impossible) for many people with mobility disabilities. Power equipment, like chairs, allows for a lowered fixed height to make transfers possible.

The ability to make precise height adjustments also empowers physicians to make adjustments based on their own size and that of the patient. This makes everyone more comfortable during the examination.

Take More Accurate Vitals

Taking vitals is an integral part of nearly every visit to a medical office. However, the way patients sit can affect the accuracy of the results, especially when it comes to their blood pressure.

The American Heart Association recommends that patients getting their blood pressure taken should sit with their back straight and supported. Most importantly, their feet should be flat on the floor and their legs should not be crossed. Their arm should be supported on a flat surface with the upper arm at heart level.

Without following these steps, your blood pressure results may be incorrect. A typical, flat medical exam table with a paper dispenser often doesn’t allow a patient to sit comfortably with their feet flat as a power medical table can.

Easy to Clean

Power exam tables are surprisingly easy to clean. Many are designed with a smooth white (or other colored) surface that can be wiped down and disinfected by your staff in minutes.

Some power chairs even come with a clean assist roller system to easily move and clean the equipment as needed.

Advanced Technology

When your exam table is connected to a power supply, it opens up a wealth of opportunities to utilize other technology. For example, the Midmark 626 Barrier Free Examination Chair can take automatic vitals due to an integrated IQscale®.

Power also makes it possible for the Midmark IQconnect® framework to be used to create a seamless connection from your devices to your EMR system. Using this added technology can help your staff be more efficient and accurately treat more patients per hour.

Improved Safety

Power medical exam tables also come with advanced safety features. For instance, tamper-resistant receptacles on both sides of the chair provide a power connection for ancillary devices. They are tamper-resistant to help prevent injury for patients and caregivers alike.

Cons of Electric Medical Exam Tables

As you can see, there are many benefits to having power medical tables in your exam room. There are truly only a few downsides to this option:

Cost

Medical exam tables can cost a lot of money depending on brand and functionality. Because power tables and chairs offer more functionality, they also tend to be more expensive than your average flat treatment table.

However, the ability to treat more patients and improve their quality of care is priceless.

Repairs

Because electric medical exam tables rely on a power source, things like outages and power surges can affect them. Understanding how much power medical equipment your office can handle is a must.

It’s also important to perform regular maintenance and updates on electric equipment to mitigate the need for repairs. If your table does need to be fixed, make sure your staff know who to contact.

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Finding medical exam tables for sale online is easy with Exam Tables Direct. Browse our selection of medical tables and chairs, including a variety of electric medical exam tables.

Equip your medical office with Exam Tables Direct today.