Millimeters rather than centimeters or meters should be used for the
default for height. Millimeters has a number of advantages even though
millimeters it may imply more precision. Use of millimeters only for height
avoids complexity and confusion.
Meters and centimeters require a decimal point or four printing/writing
positions which millimeters would take anyway. So, there is no advantage in
using either meters or centimeters. The use of meters and centimeters only
adds to the confusion with a mixture of units (m. cm, mm) whereas the use of
millimeters only does not.
Stan Doore
----- Original Message -----
From: Bill Potts
To: U.S. Metric Association
Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 2:51 PM
Subject: [USMA:45453] Re: Fw: default units for height
Robert:
I prefer to give my height in meters. It's consistent with the quasi-informal
"rule of 1000" and with the BMI formula (m/h²).
The trouble with millimeters, in this case, is that they tend to imply a
degree of precision that is neither present nor required.
For engineering and construction (cf. the Australian example), millimeters
are fine. Drawings needn't show any units for linear dimensions.
Bill
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Potts
WFP Consulting
Roseville, CA
http://metric1.org [SI Navigator]
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From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf
Of Robert H. Bushnell
Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 11:09
To: U.S. Metric Association
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: [USMA:45452] Re: Fw: default units for height
It is good of you to promote metric height numbers.
However, I do not like centimeter.
I want schools to stop teaching and using centimeter.
I also want schools to stop teaching inch-pound numbers.
So, I want height to be in millimeters.
The number can be to the nearest 10 millimeters.
Body mass index BMI uses height in meters, often shown with
two decimal places, that is, to centimeter resolution. I say
we should get used to millimeter height and make it a habit
to shift to meters for BMI.
Thanks for all your good work.
Robert Bushnell
On Jul 29, 2009, at 8:10 AM, Paul Trusten wrote:
Another small victory for the metric system in heathcare! I wote to the
author of Global RPh, an extremely useful Web site for pharmacists' drug
information. Within its armaementarium are quite a number of calculators for
things like body service area, creatinine clearance, and other values. When
you first get to each of these calculators, the default measurement units are
kilograms for weight, but INCHES for height! This might be dangerous! So,
yesterday, I finally broke down and wrote the author, asking him to please
change the default for height to centimeters. As you can see, he agreed.
----- Original Message -----
From: D. McAuley, GlobalRPh
To: [email protected]
Sent: 29 July, 2009 06:42
Subject: Re: default units for height
Hello Paul,
In the past I tried to keep everyone happy.... however, I think its
time
to have default metric selections. It will probably be some time
next
week before these changes are made.
Thank you for the suggestion....
Dave
-----------------------------------------------
David McAuley, Pharm.D., R.Ph.
GlobalRPh Inc.
[email protected]
-----------------------------------------------
--- On Mon, 7/27/09, [email protected] <[email protected]>
wrote:
From: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: default units for height
To: [email protected]
Date: Monday, July 27, 2009, 6:38 PM
Below is the result of your feedback form. It was submitted by
([email protected]) on Monday, July 27, 2009 at 20:38:10
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
subject1: Globalrph form
MessageType: Suggestion
comments: On your calculators, please consider setting your Web
sites default units for patient height to centimeters instead of inches. Your
default units for weight are in kilograms. Only metric units should be used for
patient parameters.
name: Paul Trusten, R.Ph.
verifyemail: [email protected]
Telephone: (432)528-7714
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