Clarification on LOINC Panel 85353-1: Inclusion of Vital Signs and Body Measurements

General
1

Hello everyone,

I have a query regarding the content of the LOINC panel 85353-1 (Vital signs, weight, height, head circumference, oxygen saturation and BMI panel).

From my understanding, vital signs (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate) and body measurements (e.g., height, weight, BMI) are conceptually distinct. Vital signs are physiological measurements reflecting a patient’s immediate health status, while body measurements are more structural or anthropometric data.

Additionally, I noticed that the FHIR Vital Signs Panel Profile (StructureDefinition: VitalsPanel - FHIR v4.0.1) is mapped to this LOINC panel. I feel that this mapping may not be entirely accurate, given that the FHIR Vital Signs Panel Profile appears to focus specifically on physiological vital signs, excluding structural measurements like height or weight

Could you please clarify the rationale behind grouping both vital signs and body measurements together in the LOINC panel 85353-1?

  • Is this grouping based on clinical workflows, or is it driven by the convenience of data capture?

Your insights will greatly help me in understanding this better and aligning our implementation appropriately.

2 Likes
2

@timbriscoe Can you please provide any suggestions or updates on the same.

Thanks

3

Hello All,

Gentle Reminder! Any help on this would be appreciated.

4

Hello Adarsh,

LOINC responds to requests from the community. This panel and its contents was requested and thereby created. The source appears to be HL7. Please refer to Observation-vitalsigns - FHIR v6.0.0-ballot2 for more information on the panel contents and its rationale. You may also visit HL7’s Confluence site as it often has detailed notes on decisions made.

Let us know if you find any additional information as we’d like to know and it may help others.