Point well taken, Gene. It IS mass, not weight, in the term BMI. I'll put down money that most clinicians do not know, or have forgotten, the distinction between mass and weight, nor do they know that the kilogram is a unit of mass.
Paul Quoting [EMAIL PROTECTED]: > Paul, > > Please try to persuade your hospital to reword the protocol by substitution > of "body mass" for "weight"; as used in "body mass index" which is coming > into wide usage, and to define BMI as originally created; body mass in kg > divided by height squared (height in meters). > > Gene. > > ---- Original message ---- > >Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:18:42 -0600 > >From: "Paul Trusten, R.Ph." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Subject: [USMA:40073] metric units in healthcare > >To: "U.S. Metric Association" <usma@colostate.edu> > >Cc: "U.S. Metric Association" <usma@colostate.edu> > > > >Martin and everyone: > > > >At my hospital, our delivery protocol states that the baby's length and > weight > >shall be recorded in both traditional and metric units. Even today, in 2008, > >U.S. healthcare professionals let customary units stand in medical records. > >Besides being unscientific, this is downright dangerous, and I am constantly > >pushing to eliminate non-metric units from hospital use. It's an uphill > battle, > >and we may not see a change in this perception until a nationally publicized > >"sentinel event" involving measurement units occurs. In other words, someone > >has to be an American "metric martyr" before things really change. > > > >BTW, the medication error involving Dennis Quaid's children involved product > >labeling, not metric vs. customary. > > > >Paul > > > >Quoting Martin Vlietstra <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > > > >> Steve, > >> > >> > >> > >> If you consulted the hospital's records, you would find the baby's weight > >> recorded in grams. Pounds and ounces are just for granny's benefit - the > >> mother need not really worry how heavy her baby is as all the real figures > >> are in official records where they can only be accessed by qualified > medical > >> staff. Furthermore, anybody who describes the baby's weight in imperial > >> units is clearly not properly trained and cannot be taken seriously. > >> > >> > >> > >> This hypocrisy is the same sort of hypocrisy as was portrayed in "Yes > >> Minister" when Bernard asked "Minister - is that another of our irregular > >> verbs - 'I have a confidential briefing, you have a discreet leak, he gets > >> done under the Official Secrets Act?'" > >> > >> > >> > >> For the benefit of US readers, "Yes Minister" was a highly successful TV > >> sitcom produced by the BBC which portrayed the dealings between the > >> Government Minister and his principal civil servants. (See > >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes_Minister for more information). It has > >> been suggested that much of the material used in that program was based on > >> fact, so there is a reasonable likelihood that the phrase used above was > >> actually used somewhere in Government. (See the section headed > >> "Inspirations" in the Wikipedia article). > >> > >> > >> > >> _____ > >> > >> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf > >> Of Stephen Humphreys > >> Sent: 15 January 2008 10:27 > >> To: U.S. Metric Association > >> Subject: [USMA:40056] Re: Hostile reactions to "speaking metric". > >> > >> > >> > >> My brother's girlfriend had their first child in November. His (the baby, > >> not my brother!!) weight was expressed in lb and oz although I would have > >> thought that if they had asked for it they could have been told the metric > >> values too. > >> > >> > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> > To: usma@colostate.edu > >> > Subject: [USMA:40049] Re: Hostile reactions to "speaking metric". > >> > Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2008 21:59:13 +0000 > >> > > >> > The norm in the UK is for the medical records to be kept in metric > units, > >> > but for some reason weights seem to be published in imperial units. My > own > >> > children are now in their early 20's, but what I recall is that when > they > >> > were born, I was given their weights in metric units. I don't know if > >> > things have regressed since then. > >> > > >> > -----Original Message----- > >> > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On > Behalf > >> > Of Michael Palumbo > >> > Sent: 14 January 2008 17:14 > >> > To: U.S. Metric Association > >> > Subject: [USMA:40047] Re: Hostile reactions to "speaking metric". > >> > > >> > Paul, > >> > > >> > A valid theory, absolutely. Once Megan apologised for yelling, I asked > >> > her whether or not it had anything to do with the fact that it was a > >> > baby. Her curt response was, "No, I don't care that it's a baby, you > >> > just sound like a d**k." > >> > > >> > And there you have it. I'm more inclined to believe that because she > >> > can't translate from wombat to metric, that she thinks I'm insulting her > >> > intelligence or belittling her, hence her aggressive, brash reaction. > >> > > >> > Cheers, > >> > -Mike > >> > > >> > Paul Trusten wrote: > >> > > Michael, > >> > > > >> > > I think Megan reacted to your metricating a /baby. /If you had > >> > > metricated a purchase of kumquats or the area to be occupied by some > >> > > new linoleum tiles, I don't think she would reacted as viciously. I > >> > > understand that, even in some metric countries, babies are WOMBATs at > >> > > birth. Somehow, people think the humanity of birth is taken away when > >> > > the child's units of mass/weight are stated in SI. When it comes to > >> > > the celebration of a new baby, pounds and ounces seem to be > >> > > appropriately warm and fuzzy, while kilograms and grams seem to be > >> > > madly scientific, or, controlled substance contraband (/Flying into > >> > > Los Angeleez, bringing in a couple of keys/) . > >> > > > >> > > Thank you for posting this. It is a very important issue in our quest > >> > > for U.S. metrication. I try to be prepared for reactions like this, > >> > > but the ugly head of metrophobia surfaces so quickly upon mention of > >> > > metric in the U.S. that I surely do have to be bit prepared when I > >> > > make a metric remark. When I do it, I often am made to feel as if I am > >> > > one of the African American students who first sat at the Woolworth's > >> > > lunch counter down south in 1960. > >> > > > >> > > I would that metric is as simple as our decimal dollars and > >> > > cents---or, would Megan like to return to the pounds, shillings, and > >> > > pence of our colonial days? Your goal with encounters like this is to > >> > > appear to explain this as a matter of fact, and not as a lecture, so > >> > > the recipient will feel, "Gee, where I have I been? Do my friends know > >> > > this?" > >> > > > >> > > Although we in the U.S. do use the metric system,we don't use it often > >> > > enough, and the result is that we /mis/understand it, not /fail /to > >> > > understand it. The solution to misunderstanding is education. That's > >> > > why USMA supports the teaching of the metric system exclusively > >> > > (i.e., no more teaching inch-pound units) in America's schools. If > >> > > Congress says metric is preferred for commerce, it should be preferred > >> > > for learning as well. > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > Paul > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > Michael Palumbo wrote: > >> > >> Has anyone else had something like this happen to them? > >> > >> > >> > >> Last week, my coworker's wife had a child, and we did the "guess the > >> > >> gender and weight" contest that we always do in our office. > >> > >> > >> > >> I guessed an even 3000 grams, and was the closest; the baby was 2981 > >> > >> grams. I had to translate the numbers for a few people, but no one > >> > >> really minded that I submitted my answer in metric. > >> > >> > >> > >> Last night, I was recalling this story to my friend Megan while in > >> > >> the car, and her reaction to it was *this* shy of violent. She began > >> > >> screaming at me, telling me how much of a (insert various four > >> > >> letters words here) I am for using a system that no one else > >> > >> understands. Her basic points were, if I ascertained them correctly > >> > >> in between her ranting: > >> > >> - "No one" understands the metric system, therefore it's off-putting > >> > >> for me to use it. > >> > >> - It's "extremely rude" to speak in a manner that people don't > >> > >> understand. > >> > >> - It's "moronic" and stinks of me just trying to "be different and > >> > >> weird for the sake of being different and weird". > >> > >> > >> > >> I told her that I wasn't going to listen to her insult me, dropped > >> > >> her at her house, and left. > >> > >> > >> > >> I cannot, for the life of me, understand that type of reaction. My > >> > >> office-mates, even when they don't directly understand it, have a > >> > >> pretty good idea of what I'm talking about. Rather than try to learn > >> > >> something new, Megan's reaction is what I fear may be typical of many > >> > >> people in this country. Either you act like everyone else, or you'll > >> > >> be branded a nut-case. Never mind that most of the world uses this > >> > >> system, never mind that the foreigners in this country use it, never > >> > >> mind that the doctor who delivered the baby used it, *I* am not > >> > >> supposed to because it makes her think, and she can't handle that. > >> > >> > >> > >> Regards, > >> > >> -Mike > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > > > >> > > -- > >> > > Paul Trusten, R.Ph. > >> > > Acting Secretary > >> > > The Pharmacy Alliance > >> > > Midland TX 79707-2872 USA > >> > > +1(432)528-7724 > >> > > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> > > http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ThePharmacyAlliance > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > >> > > >> > >> _____ > >> > >> Everything in one place. All new Windows > >> <http://www.windowslive.co.uk/get-live> Live! > >> > >> > > > > > >-- > >Paul Trusten, R.Ph. > >Public Relations Director > >U.S. Metric Association, Inc. > >Phone +1(432)528-7724 > >www.metric.org > >3609 Caldera Boulevard, Apartment 122 > >Midland TX 79707-2872 USA > >mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >http://oleapothecary.blog.com > > > > -- Paul Trusten, R.Ph. Public Relations Director U.S. Metric Association, Inc. Phone +1(432)528-7724 www.metric.org 3609 Caldera Boulevard, Apartment 122 Midland TX 79707-2872 USA mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://oleapothecary.blog.com
