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The PAWPER tape: a new concept tape-based device that increases the accuracy of weight estimation in children through the inclusion of a modifier based on body habitus
Resuscitation, 07/18/2012
Wells M et al. – The PAWPER tape has been shown to be a simple and reliable method of weight estimation in children and infants. The inclusion of an appraisal of body habitus in the methodology considerably improved the accuracy of weight estimation.
Methods- This was a prospective study in the Emergency Departments of two hospitals in Johannesburg, South Africa on a population of children aged from 1month to 12years.
- Each child had their weight estimated by both the Broselow tape and the PAWPER tape.
- These weight estimates were then compared against measured weight to determine the bias and precision of the estimation techniques.
- The PAWPER tape performed well, and better than the Broselow tape in every analysis performed.
- The mean percentage error was –3.8% vs 0% and the root mean squared percentage error was 9.1% vs 4.5% for the Broselow tape and PAWPER tape respectively (p<0.0001).
- The Broselow tape predicted weight to within 10% of actual weight in 63.6% of children and the PAWPER tape in 89.2% (p<0.0001).
- The difference between the performances of the Broselow tape and PAWPER tape was most pronounced in children >20kg, and in children above or below average weight–for–length.