Vital signs not only assist in early detection of potential problems, they aid in the monitoring and maintenance of ongoing medical conditions. The Vitals encounter section allows WebChart users to trend and add measurements of essential data.
Within the objective encounter section groups, there is a Vitals section that can be utilized. There, within the encounter, a chart’s vitals can be recorded and the 5 last most recently dated sets of vitals can be visualized.
To record vitals information within the encounter, simply click anywhere on the Vitals grey title section area to expand open that section.
Use the date/time field to indicate the date & time the set of vitals was taken. It is easy to advance through the fields using the keyboard tab key. Measurement units will default as English, unless your My Settings preference for preferred unit system has been changed to use metric. Please visit the Vitals Tracking & Management page for additional detailed information regarding Vitals.
Vitals - Flowsheet
The Vitals encounter section is pointed to a specific flowsheet configured in the system. The configured flowsheet named Vitals in the flowsheet editor will display in the encounter Vitals section. Using a Vitals flowsheet allows your system to capture unique or custom information for your practice to document in an encounter within the Vitals encounter section.
Additionally, a flowsheet named Pediatric Vitals is configured in the system. The Vitals encounter section is pointed to this flowsheet also. If the patient’s chart has a recorded date of birth where the age would be less than 19 years old, the Vitals encounter section will display the Pediatric Vitals flowsheet contents. Again, this flowsheet allows your system to capture unique or custom information for your practice to document in an encounter for patients younger than 19 years of age.
Vitals Summary Dashboard Portlet
Vital Signs data store as observations within the chart. Most recent recorded vital signs are also visible within a portlet on the Summary chart tab dashboard.
Vitals can be updated from the portlet by using the pencil icon.
That then opens the separate chart tab Vital Signs where the grey title bar area can be clicked (like within an encounter section behavior) where the vital sign fields will open for recording data or updating data.
Chief Complaint Protocol
The Vitals encounter section can also display additional questions/fields/contents to prompt a clinician to document, being related to a chief complaint protocol selected within the chief complaint encounter area.
For additional information on configuring and utilizing Chief Complaint protocols that can be utilized within the Vitals encounter section, please see separate guide Encounter Protocols.