Body Surface Area (Mosteller)
Calculates body surface area for chemotherapy dosing, cardiac index, and renal function estimation
- Highest activation tier
- Recommended
- How it is scored
- Scored in code; a stated value is compared only from the structured summary or a supplied value
- Scoring type
- formula
- Care settings
- Any setting
When it activates
Scribeable activates a calculator from the encounter. The Body Surface Area (Mosteller) can activate when the transcript or pasted chart context documents any of these:
- Chemotherapy dose calculation
- Cardiac index derivation
- Body surface area-adjusted medication dosing
- Burns coverage estimation
A coded diagnosis can also activate it. ICD-10 prefixes carried by the registry: C00-C96, Z51.1.
Inputs the note needs
2 inputs. Each is resolved from the transcript, the pasted chart context and charted labs; at this calculator’s tier a missing input is never requested, and a missing required input keeps the score out of the draft.
| Input | Type | Unit / options | Guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Height in centimeters | vital | cm | |
| Weight in kilograms | vital | kg |
Scoring
BSA = √(height_cm × weight_kg / 3600) m²
BSA = √(Height in centimeters × Weight in kilograms / 3600)
Interpretation
Average adult BSA ~1.7 m². Used for chemotherapy dosing (mg/m²), cardiac index (CI = CO/BSA), GFR normalization, and burn surface area contextualization.
Evidence
Sources carried in Scribeable's citation registry for this calculator; guideline version: Mosteller 1987.
- Mosteller RD. Simplified calculation of body-surface areaMosteller (BSA) 1987 · 1987 · link last verified 2026-03-28
How Scribeable handles it in the note
When an encounter activates the Body Surface Area (Mosteller) (its highest tier is recommended), Scribeable does not ask you for missing inputs. The score is computed in code from whatever inputs resolve from the transcript, the pasted chart context or charted labs; a computed value is written into the draft only when every required input already resolves.
The score is computed in code from the resolved inputs, not recalled by the language model. A stated Body Surface Area (Mosteller) value is compared against the computed one when the draft's structured summary carries it; a disagreement found there is flagged to the second drafting pass, which is instructed to correct the score and its interpretation, unless Scribeable has supplied the computed value to that pass, in which case the value the draft writes is checked against the supplied one and a detected difference is shown beside the note for you to adjudicate rather than silently rewritten.
Classified as a deterministic formula: a spare suggestion is easy to ignore, so activation is permissive.
See it activate on your own encounter
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