Summary
Growth Charts are a common need in Primary Health Care for children (pediatrics). Growth Charts are available in O2, but never yet added to O3.
With more and more implementers using O3 for care that involves infants, babies, and young children, we need Growth Charts in O3!
Growth Chart in O1
Growth Chart in O2
Growth Chart in O3
Your Work Here! 😄
🧵 Project Size
Medium
Look/Feel in OpenMRS v2 (O2)
📋 You Will Need to:
Familiarize yourself with the previous Growth Chart code repository
Familiarize yourself with code development in
Test the Fast (Bulk) and Group data entry flows to confirm they work as expected;
Add a few happy-path automated frontend E2E test coverage so that if this feature breaks in the future, the community will be notified quickly.
🔗 Key Resources & Links:
Previous, old Growth App Code Repo (O2): https://github.com/openmrs/openmrs-module-growthchart
Even older, in O1 (wiki page includes full Admin settings workflow explanation too) https://openmrs.atlassian.net/wiki/x/kZ2EAQ
Learn how to code an O3 App:
Developing with O3: See course on Academy: https://openmrs.org/academy/intro-to-openmrs-3/ . This will help you set up your O3 environment and learn the most important concepts and conventions for developing an O3 Widget.
Documentation: We have many docs on developing O3 apps, but this is probably the best place to start: https://openmrs.atlassian.net/wiki/x/oIIBCQ
Design Docs:
OpenMRS UI Design conventions and patterns to follow: https://om.rs/o3design
Carbon Design: You will likely especially want to reference the documentation and requirements around Carbon Charts: https://carbondesignsystem.com/data-visualization/getting-started/
Learn our E2E Testing conventions: See course on Academy: https://openmrs.org/academy/intro-to-o3-quality-assurance-automation/
🤔 Background: About Growth Charts & User Stories
Charts for easy review of height and weight information, in a table format, updated in real time, into an encounter.
Healthcare Staff (like doctors, nurses, and nutritionists) use the growth chart during pediatric (child) patient visits to help monitor the proper growth and nutrition of patients.
Clinicians need to know: “Is this child gaining weight, or losing weight?” Charts make this easy to visualize.
Clinicians also need to know: “Is this child underweight for their size? If so, how badly?” It can be hard to tell whether some children are underweight or at a normal weight for their size (e.g. a very long/tall baby, etc). Clinicians generally don’t have the different possible combinations all memorized. This is why it is helpful for Growth Charts to compare size vs. weight values against WHO statistical norms, to see if the child is over- or under-nourished, and if so, how badly. (Other standards have been set in the past, such as by the USA CDC; however, for the scope of this project, just focus on the WHO statistical norms.)
Parents need to know: “Is my child growing normally? If not, how bad is it?” Parents are often very anxious about whether or not they are successfully nourishing their child. Growth Charts help to show parents where the child is compared to other children their age/size/weight. For example, this picture was shared online by a parent who noticed the correlation between their child’s health issues and sicknesses, and when they should start to worry and take more drastic action. (Source)
The advantages of implementing a growth chart module are:
The historical table and chart provide information to clinicians improves patient care, e.g. by making sure underweight children are noticed and identified.
Creates buy in by providers who want access to tables and charts, encouraging consistent use of the EMR.
Implementer Example: PIH has had the O2 Growth Chart deployed in Haiti for several years and the providers definitely use them. PIH also expects to use the O3 Growth Charts when they deploy in the exciting big Maternal Center for Excellence hospital in Sierra Leone.