There are various ways that an individual’s weight can impact patient care. Explore these resources and consider the implementation of appropriate risk reduction strategies.
Metric-Based Weight Recommendations: Facility ChecklistThe Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority issued recommendations to licensed acute care facilities regarding accuracy of information involving patient weights. This checklist includes questions that facilities can use, for example, to determine whether metric scales are available in patient care locations.
Final Recommendation to Ensure Accurate Patient Weights. 48 Pa. Bull. 5679 (2018 Sep 8).This document outlines final recommendations to Pennsylvania acute care facilities regarding patient weights.
Institute for Safe Medication Practices. 2018-2019 Targeted Medication Safety Best Practices for HospitalsThis resource from ISMP is to identify, inspire, and mobilize widespread, national adoption of consensus-based best practices for specific medication safety issues that continue to cause fatal and harmful errors in patients
Recommendations to Weigh Patients and Document Metric Weights to Ensure Accurate Medication DosingThe National Coordinating Council for Reporting of Medication Errors and Prevention recommendations related to processes associated with obtaining and documenting patient weights and determining the appropriate type of weight to use when dosing medications.
Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) Position Statement Weighing All PatientsRead the ENA’s position on weighing all patients in kilograms.
