[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Nursing](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/) › [Vital signs and assessment](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/vitals/) › Weight, height and daily weights # Weight, height and daily weights - Assessment Daily weights are useful only if taken the same way each day: same scale, same time of day and similar clothing. Updated Nov 5, 2026 ## Key points - Daily weight: same scale, same time of day and similar clothing. - A 1 kg change in 24 hours represents about one litre of fluid gained or lost. - A gain or loss of more than 1 kg in 24 hours is reported at once. - Zero (tare) the scale for anything that should not be counted: otherwise it adds to the patient's weight. - Weigh the patient: height and weight are measured and documented accurately, not taken from memory. ## What it is Weight guides nutritional status, response to treatment and weight-based medicine calculations. In patients with fluid problems, the daily weight is a sensitive sign of fluid gain or loss, because a 1 kg change in 24 hours represents about one litre of fluid. That figure is useful only if it is taken under the same conditions each day. Nurses weigh the patient rather than accept a remembered weight, measure height accurately and record the scale and method. ## Reference values - BMI = weight (kg) / height (m) squared. - Adult: underweight below 18.5; healthy 18.5 to under 25; overweight 25 to under 30; obesity 30 or more. - Severe weight loss: more than 10 % of body weight in 6 months. - Adult BMI categories apply from age 20; children's height and weight are plotted on growth charts. ## What you need - Standing scale, bed scale, chair or sling scale, or bariatric scale depending on the patient. - A stadiometer for patients who can stand. - Growth charts for children: height and weight are plotted as percentiles. - The same scale for every daily weight. ## How to measure it (and why) - Choose the scale by the patient's mobility and fall risk — weighing someone standing who cannot support themselves is dangerous. - Zero the scale before the patient gets on — otherwise it adds the weight of bed, clothing or equipment. - Weigh without shoes and in light clothing, standing in the centre of the scale — shoes and heavy clothing add weight that is not the patient's. - For daily weights, repeat the same time, scale and clothing — then the difference reflects fluid, not conditions. - Measure height barefoot, heels together, head, shoulder blades, buttocks and heels against the backboard — a stooped posture loses centimetres. - Level the head (ear canal with the lower edge of the eye socket) and ask for a deep breath — it straightens the spine for a reproducible height. - Record in kg and cm with the scale, method and time, and compare with the day before — without equal conditions there is no comparison. ## How to read it - Diuretics can cause fluid deficit and electrolyte imbalance: the daily weight is read together with intake and output. - Older adults with kyphosis may not touch all contact points on the stadiometer: get the best measurement possible and note it. - BMI is a screening measure: it is read together with other factors, not on its own. - Oedema is graded 1+ to 4+; tight, shiny, swollen skin suggests fluid excess. ## Next step: when to call for help - Call for a gain or loss of more than 1 kg in 24 hours, or the threshold in the order. - Call if weight gain comes with worsening oedema or breathlessness. - Call for a sudden weight loss, especially with less urine output. - If a value does not fit, weigh again under the same conditions before calling. ## Test yourself Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it. ## Under what conditions is a daily weight taken? On the same scale, at the same time of day and in similar clothing. ## Why is a 1 kg change in 24 hours read as fluid? Because a 1 kg change in a day represents about one litre of fluid gained or lost. ## What change in daily weight is reported at once? A gain or loss of more than 1 kg in 24 hours, weighed on the same scale with similar clothing. ## How is the head positioned when measuring standing height? With the line from the ear canal to the lower edge of the eye socket parallel to the floor, looking straight ahead. [Add to my cards (4)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/nursing/weight-height-and-daily-weights/) ## Elsewhere in DurgiPedia - [Weight, height, body mass index and waist circumference](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/weight-height-body-mass-index-and-waist-circumference/) ## Connections ## Related 1 - [Fluid balance: recording intake and output](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/fluid-balance-recording-intake-and-output/) [← All of nursing](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/) Educational content for students; it does not replace your institution's protocols, supervised clinical training or a prescriber's order. Dose-calculation examples use made-up numbers: they are educational, not a clinical order. Sources: [Nursing Fundamentals (Open RN), 15.6 Applying the Nursing Process (Fluids and Electrolytes)](https://med.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Nursing/Nursing_Fundamentals_(OpenRN)/15%3A_Fluids_and_Electrolytes/15.06%3A_Applying_the_Nursing_Process) (Open RN, Wisconsin Technical College System (LibreTexts), 2021); [Nursing Fundamentals (Open RN), 14.3 Applying the Nursing Process (Nutrition)](https://med.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Nursing/Nursing_Fundamentals_(OpenRN)/14%3A_Nutrition/14.03%3A_Applying_the_Nursing_Process) (Open RN, Wisconsin Technical College System (LibreTexts), 2021); [Adult BMI Categories](https://www.cdc.gov/bmi/adult-calculator/bmi-categories.html) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024); [National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES): Anthropometry Procedures Manual](https://wwwn.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhanes/public/2021/manuals/2021-Anthropometry-Procedures-Manual-508.pdf) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, 2021). ## **Spotted a mistake?** We are always improving for the community. Tell us what is wrong and our team will review it. Report a mistake Representative model, for educational purposes only. --- Source: https://durgical.com/en/nursing/weight-height-and-daily-weights/ License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/nursing/weight-height-and-daily-weights/