American journal of perinatology
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Emergency administration of medication based on birthweight is often required in newborn resuscitation. Actual weighing is often delayed because of the emergency situation. Therefore drugs are given according to weight estimates by physicians or nurses. ⋯ The tape OFC (7.8% error) was more accurate than staffs' estimates (26% error) in these growth-retarded infants. The clinical precision of the tape was 3% with an intrameasurer variability of 5%. We conclude that estimating the birthweight in infants using our tape method is a practical and more accurate way than staff estimates, especially for low birthweight and small for gestational age infants.