Can undergraduate paramedic and nursing students accurately estimate patient age and weight?

INTRODUCTION Accurate estimation of a patient's age and weight are skills expected of all healthcare clinicians, including paramedics and nurses. It is necessary because patients may be unable to communicate such information due to unconsciousness or an altered state of conscious. Age and weight estimation influence calculation for medication dosages, defibrillation, equipment sizing, and other invasive procedures such as intubation. The objective of this study was to identify whether undergraduate paramedic and nursing students were able to accurately estimate a patient's age and weight based on digital patient photos. METHODS A prospective, observational study involving undergraduate paramedic and nursing students from two Australian universities was used to estimate the age and weight of seven patients (adult and pediatric). Each patient image appeared in a PowerPoint presentation for 15 seconds, followed by a short pause, with the next patient image commencing automatically. RESULTS The findings demonstrated variable accuracy in age and weight estimation of the patients. Age estimations of pediatric patients were more accurate than estimations for adult patients. The majority of patient weights were under-estimated, with university undergraduate students in one university displaying similar estimations to the other university counterparts. CONCLUSIONS Results from this study identified variations in students' ability to accurately estimate a patient's age and weight. This study shows that consideration should be given to age and weight estimation education, which could be incorporated into undergraduate healthcare curriculum.