The PAWPER tape as a tool for rapid weight assessment in a Paediatric Emergency Department: Validation study and comparison with parents’ estimation and Broselow tape

AIM: To validate the PAWPER tape and assess its inter-observer reliability in children accessing a Paediatric Emergency Department (PED). As secondary outcome we compared the accuracy of the PAWPER tape with that of parents’ estimation, the Broselow tape and the European Paediatric Life Support (EPLS) formula. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of children (0–12 years) enrolled in a tertiary Paediatric Emergency Department in Italy. Children’s weight was estimated by parents and by trained healthcare providers using the PAWPER tape, the Broselow tape and the EPLS formula. The root mean squared percentage error (RMSPE) for the estimation of precision was calculated. Overall accuracy was evaluated using the percentage of weight estimation falling within 10% (PW10) and 20% (PW20) of real weight. RESULTS: The study included 2060 children. Parental estimation was the most accurate and precise method. The PAWPER tape was accurate throughout all habitus sizes except for extreme underweight and overweight categories. Furthermore, it was more accurate and more precise than the Broselow tape and the EPLS formula (p adjusted <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The PAWPER tape served as an accurate method for weight estimation in children accessing a Paediatric Emergency Department, with excellent inter-rater reliability. It performed significantly better than other length or age-based tools, showing good accuracy and precision except for very extreme weights. Whilst parents’ estimation yielded to be the most accurate and precise method, the age-based EPLS formula was not reliable for estimating weight in all subcategories of habitus.