Accuracy of parental estimate of child's weight in a paediatric emergency department

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To determine the accuracy of using parental estimate of a child's weight compared to actual weight in a paediatric emergency setting. METHODS: Prospective, observational study. Age, weight and height data were collected from children aged 1 month up to 11 years with an Australian Triage score of 3 or higher. This was compared with a parent weight estimate. Analysis is descriptive. RESULTS: A total of 450 children were studied with a mean age of 4 years 4 months. A total of 85.3% of parents were willing to provide a weight estimate (n = 384). The mean difference between the parent estimate (where provided) and the actual weight was 0.33 kg (measured weight > estimated; 95% confide..