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Electronic Health Record Mid-Parental Height Auto-Calculator for Growth Assessment in Primary Care
Terri H Lipman1, Pamela Cousounis2, Robert W Grundmeier1
1The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Insights
An electronic mid-parental height (MPH) auto-calculator helps pediatricians assess child growth. This tool efficiently collects parent height data, aiding in distinguishing growth problems from healthy short stature in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric primary care
- Clinical informatics
- Child growth assessment
Background:
- Primary care providers (PCPs) differentiate healthy variant short stature from underlying growth problems.
- Biological parent heights are crucial for accurate growth assessment.
- Current methods for incorporating parental height data can be time-consuming.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility and functionality of an electronic mid-parental height (MPH) auto-calculator.
- To assess the tool's impact on clinical decision-making in pediatric primary care.
- To determine the efficiency of collecting parent height data within electronic health records (EHRs).
Main Methods:
- A prospective study involving 6803 children in a pediatric primary care setting.
- Implementation of an electronic MPH auto-calculator integrated into the EHR system.
- Clinician surveys to assess tool usage, time efficiency, and impact on growth assessments.
Main Results:
- Parent height data collection took <30 seconds in 91% of encounters.
- The MPH tool confirmed initial clinician growth assessments in 79% of cases.
- Clinicians who altered their assessment using the MPH tool were significantly more likely to pursue further evaluation (P < .0001).
Conclusions:
- The electronic MPH auto-calculator is a quick and functional resource for pediatric primary care.
- The tool can be effectively integrated into busy EHR systems.
- MPH auto-calculators can support PCPs in making informed decisions regarding child growth evaluations.
Abstract:
Primary care providers are charged with distinguishing children with an underlying growth problem from those with healthy variant short stature. Knowing the heights of the biological parents aids in making that decision. This study sought to determine the feasibility and functionality of an electronic mid-parental height (MPH) auto-calculator in the clinical assessment of child growth in a pediatric primary care setting. Clinicians completed surveys for 62% of 6803 children (mean height 13 ± 7 percentile) with recorded parent heights. Collecting parent height data required <30 seconds in 91% of encounters. The MPH tool confirmed clinicians' initial growth assessment in 79% of cases and changed it in 4%; the remainder did not use the tool. Clinicians who changed assessment were more likely (P < .0001) to pursue more comprehensive evaluation. The MPH tool was a quick, functional resource as a component of an electronic health record system in actual, busy, pediatric primary care practices.
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