Owners hate going to the vet almost as much as the pet itself. And while veterinarians love what they do for a living, their “office” setup usually doesn’t set them up for success.

There is often precious little space in:

• Animal hospitals
• Mobile vet clinics
• Mobile spay/neuter clinics

These spaces often leave veterinarians, patients, and pet owners with an uncomfortable and perhaps painful experience.

Folding veterinary treatment tables and other modern ergonomic innovations can improve your workspace and help both vet and pet avoid many injury risks inherent to bad ergonomics. Your patients will thank you (with licks)!

Why Adopt Folding Veterinary Treatment Tables & Other Ergo Equipment?

A vet clinic that uses folding medical exam tables and other ergonomic hospital products drastically improves user experience:

1. More space for work and comfort
2. Avoid lifting heavy or frail pets
3. Convenience on wheels
4. Extra storage
5. Fewer work-related injuries
   
   

1. More Space for Work & Comfort

In a small space, whether it’s a brick-and-mortar building or an RV that travels around urban areas, you and your clients have little room to maneuver. 

A folding examination table can add space to the room for everyone by lifting up and sitting flush with the wall when not in use. This may keep that 130-lb. great Dane from crashing into all your medical supplies when it gets fidgety.

2. Keep Floor Space for Heavy or Frail Animals

Some animals are too large to fit on a table, whether it’s a wall mounted exam table or a standard exam table. Other animals, such as older dogs, may be subjected to excessive pain by lifting them up and down from the table.

You can lift and put away a folding exam table so you can treat animals on the floor when necessary.

3. Mobile Lift Tables & Medical Tables Can Move in & out as Needed

There are other situations where you may need to keep an exam table stored away and only wheel it out when needed. Horses, for example, must be placed in a chute before certain procedures. You can get mobile medical carts for these situations, allowing you to wheel it right up to the big guy (or girl).

Mobile animal lift tables are also great for mobile inner-city clinics and for vets who travel to rural homes.

4. Can Add Multifunction Tables & Storage for Mobility

Technologies like hidden storage units and counterbalanced lids (where the required force to lift it is only a fraction of its true weight) add convenience to any health care setup. Multifunction tables can transform extremely tight spaces -- like those in mobile clinics -- into surprisingly versatile workspaces.

5. Increase Health of Your Staff

Ergonomic office products aren’t just for 9-5 office workers! According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, risks for musculoskeletal injuries in veterinary practice include:

• Awkward postures
• High hand force
• Highly repetitive motion
• Forceful exertions
• Moderate to high vibration
• Repeated impact

Fortunately, with the right ergonomic equipment, you can reduce these risks by cutting down on the strain you put on your body. 

Adjustable mobile lift tables can put patients exactly where you need them so you don’t have to stoop or reach to provide treatment. Counterbalanced wall-mounted exam tables can be picked up with a fingertip so you experience very little strain as you raise the table several times a day.

What Else?

Folding medical exam tables may only be the start of your ergonomic strategy, depending on the scope of your vet clinic. For example, many of the benefits of medical computer-on-wheels carts could apply to our four-legged friends, too.

While you may not be able to find an ergonomic solution for every potential issue in your practice, there are many existing tools and pieces of equipment out there today. To learn more or ask questions about your motion control design needs, use the button below: