Before you begin
You must have the admin_products permission to create or edit vital signs in Admin.
Create a vital sign
Navigate to Admin → Inventory → Products.
Click + New Product in the upper right-hand corner.
Enter a Name for the vital in the product form.
In the Class drop-down, select Vital Sign. The vital sign configuration fields will appear when selected.
Select a Tx Category—this determines where the vital displays on the patient's Tx sheet.
Enter the Formulation Unit (e.g., Each, Liter per hour, Milligram). This should be the unit in which a vital sign is ordered and appears next to the quantity of the ordered item.
Turn on the Active, Show in Ax Vitals Table, Billable, and Controlled Substance toggles as needed.
In the Unit field, enter the unit that the vital sign should be recorded in. (e.g., Degree Fahrenheit, Kilogram, Milliliter). For vitals using preset values (drop-down), the Unit should be set to None.
Toggle the Trend option on if the vital should show in a graph form as a trend over time on the Vitals page in a patient chart.
If you want staff to select from a drop-down instead of typing a number, toggle Use preset values on and see Use preset values below. Otherwise, click Save.
Note: When a vital is saved, the following cannot be edited: Class, Formulation Unit, Vital Sign Unit, Billable status, and for vitals with the Use preset values toggle on, Label and Abbreviation names can’t be edited. Set these carefully at creation.
Use preset values
If you toggle Use preset values on, you must configure the drop-down choices before saving.
Click Add Option to add a new choice.
Enter a Label and an Abbreviation for each option. Both fields are required and display in different areas of the Tx sheet and Vitals screen.
On the Tx sheet, the label shows when you hover over a completed vital entry. The abbreviation is what is constantly displayed.
Drag options by the 6 dots to the left of the label name to reorder them—staff sees the options in the order that they are set here.
Repeat for each option, then click Save.
Note: Labels and Abbreviations are locked after saving. You can add new options or reorder existing ones after creation, but existing Labels and Abbreviations cannot be edited.
Edit an existing vital sign
Some vital sign fields are locked after creation to protect the accuracy of previously recorded patient data. Open any vital from Admin → Inventory → Products to edit it.
What you can change after saving:
Name
PIMS ID
Tx Category
Active toggle
Show in Ax Vitals Table toggle
Controlled Substance toggle
Display Trend toggle
Add new preset value (if the vital uses preset options)
Reorder, show, or hide existing preset options
Pricing and other standard product settings
What is locked after saving:
Billable toggle
Class
Formulation Unit
Vital Sign Unit
Existing preset option labels and abbreviations
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I change the vital sign unit after saving?
Vital sign units are locked after creation to ensure previously recorded values remain accurate. Changing the unit would make existing patient data misleading.
When should I utilize the "Use preset values" setting?
Preset vitals limit recording to a drop-down list you define—useful for vitals with fixed values, such as a pain score scale or mucous membranes, where the values are always within a set list (MM: Pink and Moist, Pigmented, Injected, etc.) vs various numerical values (Temp: 101.2 F).
Can I deactivate a vital I no longer need?
Yes. Open the vital in Admin → Inventory → Products and toggle Active off.
For a multi-location practice, navigate to the product in the same way, select the location you’d like to edit the status for, select Edit, and toggle Active off.
What should I do if I created a vital sign with the wrong unit?
If a vital sign is created with incorrect units, follow these steps to correct the issue:
Inactivate the incorrect vital sign by toggling Active off. Optionally, label it as "DNU" (Do Not Use) to prevent future selection.
Create a new vital sign with the correct units.
Notify staff that the replacement vital sign must be used and not to use the "DNU" vital sign.
Submit feedback
Feel free to give us feedback on creating vital signs by submitting a feature request. In the in-app chat, select Ask a Question → Submit a Ticket → New Feature Idea. All feedback is submitted to the Product and Engineering teams.
Still need help?
Contact support via live chat or email [email protected].