Configure Vitals

 

If your practice uses the Multispecialty Filtering feature, vitals appear in the order configured for the provider's specialty. athenaOne displays any additional vitals readings in the patient chart below the vitals configured for the provider's specialty.

1. Display the Configure Vitals page: On the Main Menu, click Settings > Clinicals. In the left menu, under Practice Links — History/Intake, click Vitals.
2. Select specialties — Select each specialty to update.
3. Click Display Selected Specialties.
4. Fields to Show — Select each data element that should appear in the Vitals section.
   
5. Click Save.

1. Display the Configure Vitals page: On the Main Menu, click Settings > Clinicals. In the left menu, under Practice Links — History/Intake, click Vitals.
2. Fields to Show — Select each data element that should appear in the Vitals section.
3. To reorder the list of elements, position your cursor over the element that you want to move, hold down the left mouse button, "drag" the element to the desired position, and then release the left mouse button to "drop" the element in the desired spot.
4. When you select an element that has additional display options, a display unit field appears below the list of checkboxes. Select the unit of measure for each field's drop-down menu.
5. Click Save. The Vitals section is now configured.

1. Display the Configure Vitals page: On the Main Menu, click Settings > Clinicals. In the left menu, under Practice Links — History/Intake, click Vitals.
2. Deselect the data element that you want to remove (remove the checkmark from the box).
3. Click Save. The element will no longer appear in the Vitals section, but it remains selectable if you want to restore it later.

 

If the Multispecialty Filtering feature is configured for your practice and you want to enable the heart rate vital for multiple practices, select the Heart Rate option for each specialty.

 

To stop the entry of new data for the heart rate vital, deselect Heart Rate on the Configure Vitals page and then click Save. Note that old heart rate data continues to appear in the patient chart.

 

 

A Growth Chart link appears at the upper right of the vitals flowsheet for any patient who is 20 years of age or younger. This link allows you to graph growth information for that patient's encounter against the eight standard growth curves published by the CDC.

 

Note: For patients under 2 years old, percentiles in the Vitals section are calculated based on the World Health Organization (WHO) growth charts. For patients 2 years and older, percentiles are calculated based on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) growth charts.

 

Special vital signs are designed for pediatric practices:

• Head Circumference: This vital is used to measure the head circumference of infants.
• Weight (lbs/oz.): This vital provides two input fields to record weight in pounds and ounces.
• Height/Length: This vital can be used to record height or recumbent length in inches.
• Body Surface Area: When you enter a patient's height and weight and then click Save, the patient's body surface area is automatically calculated and displayed. The Body Surface Area field uses this formula:
  BSA (m²) = ([Height (cm) x Weight (kg)]/3600)^½

Two options are available for measuring height and weight. The practice should select only one option in the local vitals table.

• Height or Height/Length (inches)
• Weight or Weight (lbs. oz)

On the vitals summary section of the encounter, weight is also displayed in kg to assist with pediatric drug doses.

 

Blood pressure

The percentile of blood pressure for patients under the age of 21 appears in parentheses next to the recorded measurement in the Vitals section of the patient chart during the Intake and Exam stage of an encounter. Blood pressure percentiles are based on age, height, and gender (Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; National Institutes of Health; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services).

 

athenaOne calculates these percentiles after you enter the patient's height and blood pressure measurements.

• In the graph view, the percentile appears next to the blood pressure value above the date for each data point.
• In the table view, the percentile appears next to the blood pressure value.