The development and evaluation of a simple method of gestational age estimation

Allan, Rachel C; Sayers, Susan; Powers, Jennifer R.; Singh, Gurmeet

doi:10.1111/j.1440-1754.2008.01429.x

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 12 publications

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“…24 Certain neuromuscular signs, such as ventral suspension, have been considered particularly concerning. 25 In our survey, only a small percentage (10%) of trainees were concerned that they may harm the infant being examined.…”

Section: Differences In Results From Other Studiesmentioning

confidence: 88%

Implementing the Dubowitz assessment of gestational age in India and Malawi: a cross-sectional study of participants in a training workshop

North

Bellad

Bose

et al. 2021

Journal of Global Health Reports

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BackgroundAccurate assignment of the gestational age of newborns is important for the identification of prematurity. The Dubowitz assessment is the gold standard among postnatal examinations used to assign gestational age, but implementation has been limited because of examination complexity and training requirements. The objective of this study was to explore factors related to teaching and implementing the Dubowitz examination that may influence its uptake in India and Malawi. MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted in India and Malawi during the preparation for a low-birthweight infant feeding exploratory study. Twenty trainees participated in a Dubowitz examination training workshop that occurred over two half-day sessions. Trainees completed pretraining and posttraining surveys related to their perceptions of the Dubowitz training, the examination, and factors affecting the administration of the examination in their setting. ResultsAll survey respondents expressed confidence in their ability to perform the Dubowitz examination after the training. Less than a third expressed concerns about the time required to learn (30%) or perform the examination (25%). Eighty-five percent of trainees identified concerns related to parental perception of the examination that may inhibit implementation. Trainees averaged 14 minutes (standard deviation: 4.5 minutes) to complete the examination. More than 80% of trainee answers were within one point of the trainer for 16 of the 22 Dubowitz signs. Trainee composite scores were within ±3 weeks of the trainer for 95% of assessments based on Bland-Altman analysis. ConclusionsThe Dubowitz examination at birth is a method to improve identification of premature infants in the absence of prenatal dating. We found widespread acceptance for the Dubowitz assessment among participants in training workshops in India and Malawi, despite the complexity and length of the examination. The high level of trainee-trainer Co-senior author Co-senior author a b North K, Bellad RM, Bose C, et al. Implementing the Dubowitz assessment of gestational age in India and Malawi: a cross-sectional study of participants in a training workshop.

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Section: Differences In Results From Other Studiesmentioning

confidence: 88%