ArticleBMJ open2013
Rounding of birth weights in a neonatal intensive care unit over 20 years: an analysis of a large cohort study.
Article in BMJ open, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed.
- Birth weight and gestational age distributions in a rural Kenyan population.BMC pediatrics · 2023Trial
- Simulated Y-Site Compatibility of Calcium Gluconate and Benzylpenicillin With Maintenance Fluid Used in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.Clinical and translational science · 2026Article
- Increase in birthweight coverage of neonatal deaths is needed to monitor low birthweight prevalence in India: lessons from the National Family Health Survey.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2023Article
- Exposure to ambient particulate matter and biomass burning during pregnancy: associations with birth weight in Thailand.Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology · 2021Article
- Birthweight measurement processes and perceived value: qualitative research in one EN-BIRTH study hospital in Tanzania.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2021Observational
- Birthweight: EN-BIRTH multi-country validation study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2021Observational
- Regional trends in birth weight in low- and middle-income countries 2013-2018.Reproductive health · 2020Observational
- Antibiotic prescribing in neonatal sepsis: an Australian nationwide survey.BMJ paediatrics open · 2020Article
- Article
- Examining the link between women's exposure to stressful life events prior to conception and infant and toddler health: the role of birth weight.Journal of epidemiology and community health · 2016Article
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo determine the frequency of birth weight digit preference for infants admitted to a large neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), the scale of rounding and its dependence on birth weight, and time and the impact on prescribing accuracy.
designA consecutive cohort of birth weights extracted retrospectively from a single clinical database. SETTING AND
participantsBirth weights from 9170 inborn infants recorded on an electronic prescribing database admitted to NICU over 20 years. STATISTICAL APPROACH: Data are presented for the frequency of each of the possible pairs of final digits. A statistical model of digit preference assuming rounding is used to quantify the proportions rounding to specific accuracy levels. These proportions are compared between those <1000 g and those above and over the 20-year time period.
resultsFrom a population of 9170 infants admitted over 20 years, there was a highly statistically significant digit bias with an increased prevalence of multiples of 100 (p<0.0001), 50 (p=0.007), 20 (p<0.0001), 10 (p<0.0001), 5 (p<0.0001) and 2 (p=0.0005). There was clear evidence of a reduced 100 g digit bias for infants 500 and 1000 g (0%) compared with those between 1000 and 4500 g (3.7%). The maximum birth weight error due to digit bias for all infants was 5%. There was clear evidence of an improvement in accuracy over 20 years.
conclusionsDigit bias in birth weights over 20 years in a tertiary NICU is highly significant at the 100, 50, 20, 10, 5 and 2-digit levels. There has been a substantial improvement in the accuracy of birth weight measurements over 20 years. The likely maximum error due to birth weight digit bias is 5% and is within an acceptable tolerance for drug dosing even at very low birth weights.
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