How should a patient's height be measured using a stadiometer?

When measuring a patient's height with a stadiometer, it is essential for the patient to stand straight with their back against the stadiometer. This positioning allows for an accurate measurement by ensuring that the patient's body is fully extended, and any curvature of the spine is minimized. The head should be positioned so that the line of sight is horizontal, often referred to as the "Frankfort horizontal plane," which facilitates a precise reading.

In this method, the stadiometer's movable headpiece is lowered until it touches the crown of the patient's head lightly, ensuring an accurate height measurement. This approach is standard practice in clinical settings to maintain the reliability of height data for various health assessments and calculations.

Other approaches listed, such as measuring while seated or lying down, or relying solely on a tape measure, would not provide a standard or reliable reading of height since they do not take into account the full height of the individual or may introduce errors in measurement. Thus, the correct method using the stadiometer is crucial for maintaining accuracy in assessing the patient's height.