| Title | On the Clinical Indices of Energy Expenditure in Low-Birth-Weight Infants: A Computerized System for Measuring the Effect of Nursing Care Activities |
| Author(s) | M. Roncoli, RN, PhD; D. Brotten, RN, PhD; M. Delivoria-Papadopolous, MD |
| Source | Proceedings of the Ninth Annual Symposium on Computer Applications in Medical Care, Pages 753-759 |
| ISBN | 0-8186-0647-9 |
| Publisher | IEEE Computer Society Press |
| Publication Date | 1985 |
| Abstract | A computerized system measuring the clinical indices of energy expenditure -- heart rate, temperature, and activity -- was pilot tested on 3 LBW infants over 24 hours. Mean heel temperature was 34.7 degrees C, mean abdominal skin temperature was 35.1 degrees C, mean incubator wall temperature was 29 degrees C, and mean air temperature was 25.5 degrees C. The mean heart rate was 163 beats/min and mean activity level was 8-9 baseline crossings/min. A correlation of 0.84 was established between the number of voltage baseline crossings and an established clinical observational tool of motor activity. This is a valid, reliable system. |