ABSTRACTS
Accuracy of Adult Patient Weight Estimation by EMS Providers in Latin AmericaAuthor: Andres Cairol, Wendy Morun, Luis Felipe Loaiza, Carlos Mora, and Izabella Sepúlveda | | Associate Authors:
Introduction: Weight estimation in prehospital services is necessary to calculate medication doses. Currently, few tools are available to reliably estimate weight in adults, with visual estimation being the most often used method. Objective: To determine the accuracy of adult patient weight estimation by EMS providers in Latin America. Methods: Using high-definition images of adults from different angles, 238 emergency medical service (EMS) providers in Latin America visually estimated the weight of 12 different adults. The range of accuracy of the estimated weight was defined as ±5% of the adult’s actual weight. Once the weight was estimated, a midazolam dose of 0.1–0.3 mg/kg was used to compare the dose with the actual weight and the dose from the estimated weight. Jamovi® was used for data analysis. Results: The average experience of the EMS providers was 10.9 years (SD = 9.6). Some participants (10.5%) were unable to visually estimate any of the adults’ weights. Additionally, 77% (SD = 14.6%) of weight estimates were found to be outside of range of ±5% of the adult’s actual weight, using midazolam as a reference medication to analyze the difference between the dose with the actual weight and the dose with the estimated weight. And 38.8% of the doses calculated with the weight estimates were in the dose range of 0.1 mg/kg actual weight, and 50% were in the dose range of 0.3 mg/kg actual weight. A moderate negative correlation was found between the difference in dose with actual weight and the dose with estimated weight as well as years of EMS experience. No statistically significant differences were found based on years of experience or the participant’s profession. Conclusion: This study evaluated dose-dependent administration of midazolam and the estimated weight of patients in prehospital medicine services. Emergency care teams administered between 43% and 47% of the correct dose of IV midazolam, demonstrating that even experienced personnel have difficulty visually estimating adult weights.
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