Why are doctors offices going to metric system in the USA?

The Metric System, or properly now its Systèmè Internationale equivalent, is the universal language for all science, engineering, commerce, sports, etc. world-wide, with very few exceptions.

It is inevitable American doctors need use metric units. Medicine has to follow normal scientific practice. The doctors, hospitals and laboratories probably import quite a lot of medicines and equipment so those will be all to metric measures. Doctors, especially specialists, read and some write for, peer-reviewed journals of international value; they discuss medical matters internationally.

It has nothing whatsoever to do with the political hues of any country.

It is really only an accident of history that the founders of the USA stayed with their versions of the Imperial Measures instead of adopting the French-invented metre, litre, gramme, etc - to use their correct, French spellings. Quite literally an accident, too, as a ship carrying metric reference standards to the young USA was wrecked.


The Systèmè Internationale springs from, and still uses, the original metric, but then adds compound units derived so they are all arithmetically coherent. Some do give practical disadvantages, but for most of those alternatives still defined by the formal SI units, are permitted. These include the Bar and the Degree (of angle, not temperature).

It was devised and ratified by the International Standards Organisation, of which the United States of America is a fully paid-up member and possibly among those with the most influence. Yet which remains one of only about three nations still using the old units for everyday purposes.

The last time I heard a NASA control-room officer commentating on the descent of a lander, on the Moon I think, she was reading the altitudes in metres.

So I am afraid that like it or not, your idea that using the m, l, g, Pa, N, V, A, Rad., etc is somehow "Chinese" or somehow "Communist" is totally mistaken.

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The UK has been almost fully metric for some decades now its a few exceptions are primarily the Mile for road and railway distances and speeds... and the Pint for dispensing draught ales and ciders in pubs!

What’s the fuss - the majority of the world uses the Metric system which started in France in 1795 - China didn’t become metric until 1929😂😂🙂🐼🥢

we're metric too and closer to you,,,😃

Metric was all we used in college, so it's not odd to me. The CT scan showed an aneurism 4.1 cm in diameter. It was clear that my surgeon would make two incisions, 2.2 cm. long during my back surgery. it will be easier to track growth of the aneurism in metric.

The fact that the rest of the world went metric years ago has nothing to do with it!

China is not the only country in the world that uses the decimal system. ALL of Europe uses it and has been using it since the late 60s.
The UK still uses the imperial system of inches.

They don't tell me how much I weigh at the doctor anymore. I had to buy a scale.

@starlitflower they are out west buying up land

???

The reason Doctors offices are going metric in the USA is because a huge percentage of medicinal drugs are manufactured in other countries, like China for example who use the metric system.

Many drugs that are used in the American healthcare system are also manufactured in Canada and shipped over the border to the US by the truckload each day.

Those drugs manufactured in Canada come with a metric measure on the label and it's far safer for American Doctors to dispense those drugs to patients using the metric system, rather than taking a chance on screwing things up by converting that metric measure to Imperial measure.

The bottom line is, if the USA buys drugs in metric quantities from their foreign supplier, the standard is to keep it in metric to avoid confusion when dispensing it.

You might find this of interest when you think of America losing it's identity in the metric world:

The US system of units from 1832 (the US gallon), is base on the original system in use in Britain PRIOR to the introduction of what's now known as the "British Imperial System", the latter of which came into existence in 1826.

What the USA still uses today is an old abandoned system of measure that was used in Britain prior to 1826.

The US gallon and all other forms of US measure was not invented in the USA and declared an 'American thing'. It is actually a very old 'British thing' that ended up on the shores of the USA over 250 years ago when Brits and a few other worthy types were fleeing the King of England, yet brought that old system of measure with them when they left England on the big boat.... and that old, abandoned British system of measure has remained in place across the USA ever since!

And finally, there is one other thing you should know about America's identity in the world of metric versus British standard measure:

There are only 3 countries on earth who STILL use that old, original British system of measure that was used in Britain prior to the adoption of what's known today as the British Imperial System (Imperial gallon)

Those 3 countries are: the USA, Liberia and Mayanmar.

Liberia is a country located in south-west Africa.

Mayanmar is a country located south of China between India and Bangladesh.

How does it make you feel as an American to share the same obsolete standard of measure with two other countries who are considered Third World Nations and who's citizens are not even eligible for immigration status to the United States of America?

Are you SURE you want to hang onto the old instead of embracing the new?!

Canada being already fully metric since the 1980's, will be switching to metric time as well starting January 01, 2025.

A metric minute contains 100 seconds
A metric hour contains 100 minutes

Because metric is far more accurate, it's based on units of ten, not 8 or 16.