Essay Example on Measuring and Recording Height and Weight

In the medical field measuring and recording height and weight is significantly essential to determine the health of a patient. Height and weight are extremely important to understand the well-being of a patient. It is also used to confirm if a patient is healthy at their current height and weight.  It can determine certain diseases among patients. Recording height and weight can also calculate BMI which is another way of checking if a patient is healthy.  

Measuring and recording height and weight is used for accurately obtaining a patient's current height and weight. After obtaining a patient's height and the weight you can also calculate their BMI. It is also used by doctors to accurately understand a patient's height and weight and calculate if their height and weight are safe and they are at risk for any diseases. For example, it can determine if a patient is overweight or underweight it can also determine if someone is at risk for disease. It can also indicate abnormal growth patterns that may indicate illness or deficiencies. 

When it comes to monitoring a person's health, measuring their height and weight is very important. It can help determine their body mass index, which is a measure of healthy weight. This is also important when it comes to monitoring a person’s growth. Having accurate height and weight measurements can help determine someone's ideal weight. Most importantly it is used to calculate medical dosages and to evaluate certain laboratory tests. 

Obtaining height and weight is used when a patient is admitted to a long-term care facility or a hospital. It's also used when a patient is prescribed meds and is frequently used on infants and children because their growth is rapid. However, it is also used as a part of a general physical, mainly for a provider to determine if the patient is healthy. The process of obtaining height and weight is critical to determining important information about a patient's health. Before seeing the patient you should make sure the scale is accurate by checking it is balanced at 0 and evenly distributed. First, you would cover the scale with a paper towel and make sure the scale is evenly distributed and at 0. It should be balanced at 0 because this can affect an accurate reading of the patient's weight. Then you ask the patient to remove their shoes then step on the scale facing the scale. Then you move the bottom bar first which measures in 50-pound increments. Then you move the top scale which measures increments of ¼ pounds until the scale is balanced. To calculate the patients' total weight you would add the bottom bar and the top bar together. Next to calculate the height you would have the patient step off the scale to then raise the height bar so it won't hit them when they step back on. Then have them step back on but with their back facing the scale this time, and lower the bar until it reaches the top of the patient's head. Finally Read the measurement at the breakpoint of the movable bar to calculate the patient's height. 

In conclusion, measuring and recording height and weight is extremely important not only for a provider to know but also for the patient's health. Doing this accurately can tell you a patient's overall well-being and health which is extremely important.