Neonatal and infancy time scale for extension into childhood and adulthood

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Informatics
• Clinical Data Visualization
• Chronobiology

Background:

• Linear time scales obscure early neonatal and infancy events.
• Split time scales lack unification and can be arbitrary.
• A unified scale is needed to represent clinical events across the lifespan.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a logarithmic time scale for unified exposition of clinical events.
• To improve the visualization of early life events in a lifespan context.
• To offer a method for creating a comprehensible logarithmic time scale for clinical data.

Main Methods:

• Clinical events are converted to a common unit (e.g., days).
• A logarithmic time scale (base 2, labeled in days) is plotted.
• Conventional calendar intervals (weeks, months, years) and data points are established on the logarithmic scale.

Main Results:

• A unified logarithmic time scale preserves time proportions while highlighting early life events.
• This scale avoids the crowding and obscurity of linear scales.
• A simple equation is provided for generating scale markers and data points.

Conclusions:

• The logarithmic time scale offers a superior method for visualizing clinical data across extended periods.
• It enhances the representation of critical early developmental and clinical milestones.
• This approach provides a visually comprehensible and unified framework for lifespan data analysis.