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Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

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  • Title: Validation of accuracy and community acceptance of the BIRTHweigh III scale for categorizing newborn weight in rural India.
    Author: Darmstadt GL, Kumar V, Shearer JC, Misra R, Mohanty S, Baqui AH, Coffey PS, Awasthi S, Singh JV, Santosham M, Saksham Study Group.
    Journal: J Perinatol; 2007 Oct; 27(10):602-8. PubMed ID: 17717522.
    Abstract:
    OBJECTIVE: To determine the accuracy and acceptability of a handheld scale prototype designed for nonliterate users to classify newborns into three weight categories (>or=2,500 g; 2,000 to 2,499 g; and <2,000 g). STUDY DESIGN: Weights of 1,100 newborns in Uttar Pradesh, India, were measured on the test scale and validated against a gold standard. Mothers, family members and community health stakeholders were interviewed to assess the acceptability of the test scale. RESULT: The test scale was highly sensitive and specific at classifying newborn weight (normal weight: 95.3 and 96.3%, respectively; low birth weight: 90.4 and 99.2%, respectively; very low birth weight: 91.7 and 98.4%, respectively). It was the overall agreement of the community that the test scale was more practical and easier to interpret than the gold standard. CONCLUSION: The BIRTHweigh III scale accurately identifies low birth weight and very low birth weight newborns to target weight-specific interventions. The scale is extremely practical and useful for resource-poor settings, especially those with low levels of literacy.
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