Our research has found that using current weight estimation methods, prehospital dosing errors occur in up to 34.7% of pediatric dosages. With no training required, our PWS-100 Series devices aim to lower the risk of all prehospital dosing errors, providing an added layer of confidence to the job.
One of the leading problems for the EMS industry in a prehospital setting is pediatric care. This is because the majority of drugs that get administered to pediatric patients are weight based. There are many different techniques to make an estimation for a pediatric weight, including the Broselow tape, Handtevy, and others. Our research found that the most common technique is the Broselow tape. Therefore, in this article, we will discuss that method.
The study in the article by John D. Hoyle studied pediatric patients over two years using Broselow tapes or previous records to estimate the pediatrics weight. They set a critical error to be ≥20% deviation from the weight-appropriate dose and found that 34.7% of pediatric patients were administered a critical dose.
Our Patient Weighing System (PWS-100 Series) device will provide a measured weight within 3% of the true weight. Adding this layer of confidence to an EMS professional’s job will reduce prehospital dosing errors.
Source: John D. Hoyle Jr., Alan T. Davis, Kevin K. Putman, Jeff A. Trytko & William D. Fales (2012) Medication Dosing Errors in Pediatric Patients Treated by Emergency Medical Services, Prehospital Emergency Care, 16:1, 59-66.