The hospital’s busy gynaecology department sees over 40 women a day between three different exam rooms. Two of those rooms now feature a Divia Mixte examination table which is designed to accommodate the needs of both patients and medical staff. Registered Nurse Kim Vermeulen says the department’s previous examination beds weren’t wide or stable enough.
“The stirrups would slip down and move around all the time, you just couldn’t tighten them enough to hold things in place,” she recalls. “The ladies would put their legs on the stirrups and they would fall down and move around. It was just awful. “With the new tables, we have chosen to go with stirrups that you put under your knee. The proper fit of the stirrup actually holds their position well."
“The new tables are also a lot wider too which is quite nice. Sometimes when we used to put patients in a certain position, like on their side, they would feel insecure. Especially the older ladies or those who were larger; they felt like they were going to fall off the table. The new table is wider which makes it a lot nicer. It’s also quite helpful that it’s got side rails which you can put up so people can grip onto them if they wish.”
The Divia Mixte is a versatile treatment table suitable for all types of gynaecology examinations. “We will be doing colposcopies in future on these beds but the patient needs to be upright for those, as opposed to lying down. The great thing is these tables can convert into an upright seated position too.”
The height and angles of the table’s three different sections can be electrically adjusted using foot pedals (including Trendelenburg and reverse Trendelenburg functions) so gynae specialists and registrar doctors can work comfortably and efficiently.
“The staff all like it. With the old tables, the stirrups were always set at a certain level because we couldn’t keep changing them. But some doctors wanted them higher, some lower and it was a bit of a pain. Now they can adjust the height themselves because some doctors are tall and some are short. It makes their life a lot easier when trying to do exams or position a scope."
Overall, Kim and her fellow Tauranga Hospital nurses say the table’s durable, user-friendly design is proving very helpful for everyone involved in gynaecology exams.