Updates to Vital Signs Weight Threshold and Warnings Copied

Updates to Vital Signs Weight Threshold and Warnings

The following changes have been made to help increase accuracy when documenting a patient’s height and weight in Vital Signs:

• Height is carried forward from visit to visit, replacing the use last value link (see callout 1).

• Patient’s weight documented during their last visit is now visible along with last height and BSA and BMI calculations (see callout 2).

• A new threshold has been set for the upper limits of weight documentation. The upper limit for weight is now 1000lbs/455 kg, while the lower limit for weight remains the same at 5lbs/2kg.

• The threshold for height documentation remains the same with the upper limit being 96 inches/250cm and the lower being 12 inches/25cm.

• New error messages will display if the documented height or weight is greater than the upper limit threshold or less than the lower limit threshold (see callouts 3 and 4).

• New warnings will display if there is a 10% increase or decrease in either weight or height documentation (see callouts 5 and 6).

• Please note that these error messages and warnings display to confirm any significant changes in vitals and the potential impact on medication dosing. It is extremely important to look at this message and confirm the changes in vitals. Not verifying potential changes in vitals and accepting a recalculation based on the new values can result in an incorrect dosing based on the original vitals information.