The intended use is to get a quick overview of populations and it works great there. For individuals the Waist to Height ratio and Waist to Hip ratios are better quick scan controls.
Modern EMRs flag various data for review. A BMI over or under a specific range triggers a dietician consult to review the patients diet orders. Dietician doesn’t even review most patient charts without a consult, so out of the 5 things I forget to do everyday, the EMR can look at the height and weight I put in and put in the consult automatically. It’s one less thing and lemme tell ya, there are a LOT of things. So if I’m admitting a little old lady who was on the floor of her house after 2 days with a broken hip, in the middle of reconciling her medications and getting all of her feces off her, the EMR will call the dietician for me, who will look at her and be like “oh she REALLY needs some protein shakes yeah.”
The intended use is to get a quick overview of populations and it works great there. For individuals the Waist to Height ratio and Waist to Hip ratios are better quick scan controls.
It’s also good as an estimate if you hugely widen what’s taken as normal. 80 is just too damn high and 12 for an adult is just too damn low.
I mean, sure, but unless the physician is blind is bmi really needed at that point? :)
Modern EMRs flag various data for review. A BMI over or under a specific range triggers a dietician consult to review the patients diet orders. Dietician doesn’t even review most patient charts without a consult, so out of the 5 things I forget to do everyday, the EMR can look at the height and weight I put in and put in the consult automatically. It’s one less thing and lemme tell ya, there are a LOT of things. So if I’m admitting a little old lady who was on the floor of her house after 2 days with a broken hip, in the middle of reconciling her medications and getting all of her feces off her, the EMR will call the dietician for me, who will look at her and be like “oh she REALLY needs some protein shakes yeah.”