"Weighing Cam": A New Mobile Application for Weight Estimation in Pediatric Resuscitation
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Insights
The Weighing Cam app provides more accurate pediatric weight estimations than the Broselow tape. This mobile tool can aid in pediatric resuscitation efforts in emergency settings.
Area of Science:
- Emergency Medicine
- Pediatric Critical Care
- Medical Technology
Background:
- Accurate pediatric weight estimation is crucial for effective emergency resuscitation.
- Traditional methods like the Broselow tape have limitations in precision.
- Novel mobile applications offer potential improvements in weight estimation accuracy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the validity of the Weighing Cam mobile application for pediatric weight estimation.
- To compare the accuracy of the Weighing Cam against the Broselow tape.
- To assess the utility of the Weighing Cam in pediatric emergency care.
Main Methods:
- A new mobile application (Weighing Cam) was developed using smartphone camera technology for weight estimation.
- Pediatric patients (<16 years) were enrolled in two tertiary academic hospitals.
- Weight estimations from the Weighing Cam and Broselow tape were compared to actual measurements using error metrics.
Main Results:
- The Weighing Cam demonstrated lower bias (MPE: -1.98%) compared to the Broselow tape.
- A higher percentage of Weighing Cam estimations were within 10% of actual weights.
- The Weighing Cam exhibited superior accuracy and precision across all age and BMI subgroups.
Conclusions:
- The Weighing Cam app offers more accurate pediatric weight estimation than the Broselow tape.
- This mobile application shows promise for improving pediatric resuscitation in prehospital and hospital settings.
- The Weighing Cam could be a valuable tool for emergency medical professionals.
Abstract:
Objective: We evaluated the validity of a newly developed mobile application (i.e. the Weighing Cam) for pediatric weight estimation compared with that of the Broselow tape. Methods: We developed an application that estimates the weight of pediatric patients using a smartphone camera and displays the drug dosage, device size, and defibrillation energy on the screen of the smartphone. We enrolled a convenience sample of pediatric patients aged <16 years who presented at two pediatric emergency departments of two tertiary academic hospitals in South Korea. The pediatric patients' heights and weights were measured; then, one researcher estimated the weights using the application. Using the measured height, we determined the weight estimated by the Broselow tape. We compared the estimated measurements by determining the mean percentage error (MPE), mean absolute percentage error, root mean square percentage error, and percentages predicted within 10% and 20% of the actual. Results: In total, 480 patients were enrolled in 16 age categories, each with 15 males and 15 females of different ages. The Weighing Cam demonstrated a lower bias (mean difference: -1.98% [95% confidence interval -2.91% to -1.05%] for MPE) and a higher proportion of estimated weights within 10% of the actual weights than the Broselow tape (mean difference: 9.1% [95% confidence interval 3.0% to 15.1%]). The Weighing Cam showed better performance in terms of accuracy and precision than the Broselow tape in all subgroups stratified by age or body mass index percentile. Conclusions: The Weighing Cam may estimate pediatric patients' weights more accurately than the Broselow tape. The Weighing Cam may be useful for pediatric resuscitation in both prehospital and hospital settings.
