RESUMO
Pediatric nurses in acute care settings routinely test urine for specific gravity, pH, glucose, protein, and other substances. In one tertiary care facility, nurses used the refractometer to test urine specific gravity and the reagent strip to test for other substances. This study was designed to provide data to determine if the reagent strip and the refractometer were interchangeable for measuring urine specific gravity in pediatric clients. Nurses obtained urine for specific gravity testing in 157 pediatric patients ranging in age from 1 day to 16 years. Each urine specimen was tested twice, once using the refractometer and once with the reagent strip. A Bland-Altman plot was used to determine the extent of agreement between the two measurement methods. The plot showed strong agreement between the two methods across a wide range of values for urine specific gravity. As a result of this study, staff nurses decided to use the reagent strip for urine specific gravity when other urine tests are needed and to use the refractometer when only a specific gravity is needed. This decision has resulted in a time savings for nurses who now do not have to repeat a reagent strip measurement. The decision also resulted in a savings of approximately $1200 in purchase of new refractometers for a newly constructed unit.
Assuntos
Fitas Reagentes/normas , Refratometria/instrumentação , Gravidade Específica , Urinálise/instrumentação , Adolescente , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Redução de Custos , Hospitalização , Humanos , Lactente , Recém-Nascido , Modelos Lineares , Enfermagem Pediátrica/métodos , Fitas Reagentes/economia , Refratometria/economia , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Sensibilidade e Especificidade , Fatores de TempoRESUMO
Thirty surgery patients between 4 and 12 years of age were interviewed preoperatively to assess their knowledge about medical instruments (e.g., the identity and function of an anesthesia mask). Self-report measures of anxiety were also obtained. Qualitative and quantitative age differences in children's understanding of medical instruments were noted, but no age differences were detected in overall level of anxiety or in the rank ordering ot items considered least and most anxiety provoking. Children who were most anxious appeared to have the least understanding of medical instruments. These findings are discussed in terms of the literature on providing children with medical information. Recommendations for preparing different-aged children for medical procedures are offered.