Using growth charts

View measurements in a table or chart to track patient development

Updated over a week ago

You can view data within a growth chart by pulling it automatically from existing values entered in the patient chart. You can also manually add or modify data that you need right within the growth chart.

By default, when you save an encounter, any vitals entered in the encounter are automatically added to the growth chart. However, each user can customize their encounter settings to disable this feature (see Customizing your encounter settings).

In addition, when you update the patient's height, weight, or head circumference in a Qnaire or in Patient Data, those values are also automatically updated in the growth chart.

When you use growth charts, you can choose to view the data in a table or graph format. In the graph format, if a value exceeds the "area" of the chart, that value will now be added to the maximum or minimum option in the chart and display the exact value.

Steps

1. Open the patient dashboard (see Navigating the patient dashboard).

2. Navigate to the Growth Chart widget.

💡 Tip: If this widget is not in the dashboard, add it.

3. To view details, click Open Growth Chart. Or, to add new measurements, click Start Growth Chart.

💡 Tip: If a growth chart already exists, it shows the last five measurements.

4. To add a new measurement, click Add. Then, select the date of the measurement and the value and click Save. The growth chart opens in a table format.

5. To change the units of measurement, in the top-right corner, select between metric and imperial.

6. If needed, click the 0-24 months or 2-19 years tab to alternate between the two.

7. To manually add a new vital measurement, click Add.

📌 Note: The patient's date of birth is used to determine what measurements are available. For example, if the patient is 3 months old, you can only add this measurement.

8. To edit or delete an existing measurement, click it.

9. To view data in a graph, in the top-right corner, click the print icon and select whether to graph the Height/Length/Weight, Head Circumference, or BMI for the child's age. The graph opens in a new window.

At the bottom of the graph, a history table shows the date of the last eight entries, the patient's age, and the vital measurement. When you are done with the graph, click Close.

💡 Tip: To make the graph bigger, in the top-right corner, click the maximize button and increase the zoom percentage in the top middle.

10. To add a PDF of the graph to the Patient Files section, click the Save icon and select Head Circumference or Length/Weight for Age for 0-24 months or Height/Weight for Age or BMI for Age for 2-19 years. A confirmation message appears when the growth chart is saved successfully. Saving a PDF copy of the growth chart is very useful when you want to attach growth charts to outgoing referrals.

Updated July 21, 2022

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