C
Cindy Rubin
Trying to summarize this one and hopefully bump it up in terms of priority.
As a pediatrician, one of my main jobs is monitoring a child's growth. There have been many users on this board requesting updates to the Growth Charts feature and I compiled a list of what people are requesting/needing for their various different types of practice. All of these charts should be available on the CDC website. There is a set for boys and a set for girls.
  1. WHO weight for age 0-3 months
  2. WHO length for age 0-36 months
  3. WHO head circumference for-age0-36 months
  4. WHO weight for length 0-36 months
  5. CDC weight-for-age 2-20 years
  6. CDC stature- for age 2-20 years
  7. CDC BMI for age 2-20 years
  8. CDC weight-for-stature 2-20 years
A few points:
  1. Some of the above are combined onto one chart (1 and 2, 3 and 4, and 5 and 6), but they could be separated into their own charts for the purposes of the EMR (I.e. You could create your own graph/plot - it doesn't have to be ON the actual graphic created by the CDC, as long as all the percentiles are correct).
  2. There are 2 sets of all of the above charts - one that has percentiles out to 5th and 95th, the other that goes from 3rd to 97th. Again, this is irrelevant if the actual percentiles are calculated and populate next to the actual vital signs, not just with a dot on the chart. Most primary care docs will use the 5th-95th charts, but some specialists may want the 3rd-97th (endocrinologists, nutritionists, for instance).
  3. There are also some other specialized growth charts, the most commonly used being: Fenton (for premature babies), Down Syndrome (https://www.cdc.gov/birth-defects/hcp/down-syndrome-growth-charts/index.html)
  4. The CDC has information on the calculations for the percentiles as well as computer program information that I believe can be used for creating growth charts in EHRs: https://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/computer_programs.htm.
I think if you want to be a viable option for pediatricians or other healthcare professionals who take care of kids, you really need to have at least the basics available. I would be happy with just starting with Head Circumference charts!
I'd be happy to chat with someone if they need any guidance from someone who uses these charts daily.
Thank you so much!