D K Gelhar | PubMed Health

PubMed1997

Intra- and interexaminer reliability of anthropometric measurements of term infants.

BACKGROUND: The reliability of anthropometric measurements of term infants has not been studied sufficiently to determine if these measurements are reliable enough to be used in clinical practice and research. This study described the intra- and interexaminer reliability of the following anthropometric measurements: weight (WT), head circumference (HC), chest circumference (CC), abdominal circumference (AC), mid-arm circumference (MAC), and length. METHODS: A convenience sample of 50 clinically stable term infants was studied. Two examiners obtained the six measurements twice using blank tape measures. The order of examiners was randomized and the examiners were masked to their own and the other examiners' measurements. RESULTS: The intraexaminer mean absolute differences were as follows: WT = 1.88, 3.28 g; HC = 0.29, 0.29 cm; CC = 0.50, 0.78 cm; AC = 0.71, 0.77 cm; MAC = 0.36, 0.39 cm; length = 0.92, 1.18 cm. The interexaminer mean absolute differences were as follows: WT = 1.94, 1.66 g; HC = 0.37, 0.36 cm; CC = 0.59, 0.72 cm; AC = 0.99, 0.77 cm; MAC = 0.41, 0.57 cm; length = 1.57, 1.47 cm. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that intraexaminer differences tended to be smaller than interexaminer differences for all measures except weight, which remained stable for intra- and interexaminer comparisons. These findings also suggest that weight and head circumference were the most reliable measures, whereas length and mid-arm circumference were the least reliable measures.

Abdomen↗

PubMed1994

Research from the research utilization project: environmental temperatures.

Thermoregulation is one of the most common concerns for neonatal nurses. The literature contains limited information regarding the effects of environmental temperature during the transitioning process from the incubator to the crib for the premature infant weighing 1,500-1,800 g. The type and amount of insulation while in the incubator and open crib and the effects of the cooler environmental temperature may influence the success of the weaning process from the incubator. As an adjunct to the Transition of the Preterm Infant to an Open Crib Research Utilization Project, sponsored by the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), nurses collected data regarding environmental temperatures at 6 of the 10 project sites. The average correlation of infant's temperature to environmental temperature once the infant was out of the incubator for a weaning period was 0.09. In one-third of the cases, the environmental temperature never varied; however, in the rest of the infants, mean infant temperatures during weaning stayed constant, with little variance. There appears to be no association between neonatal intensive-care unit environmental temperature and infant's temperature during the weaning process when nurses followed a specific protocol of layering the infant with blankets.

Beds↗