Touch detection of neonatal hypothermia in Nepal
- 1Centre for Child and Adolescent Health, Bristol University, UK
- 2Maternal and Infant Research Activities, Kathmandu, Nepal
- 3International Perinatal Unit, UCL, London, UK
- 4Perinatal Care Project, DAB, Dhakka, Bangladesh
- Correspondence to:
Dr Ellis
Hampton house, Cotham Hill, Bristol BS6 6JS, UK; m.ellis{at}bristol.ac.uk
- Accepted 7 March 2006
Abstract
The use of touch by health workers to detect hypothermia was examined in 250 newborns in Nepal. Palpation of the feet shows fair interobserver agreement (κ = 0.4–0.7) and high sensitivity (>80%) but low specificity (36%–74%) compared with axillary thermometry. Traditional birth attendants should feel an infant’s feet to detect hypothermia.
- hypothermia
- community health services
- developing countries
- traditional birth attendant
- temperature monitoring
Footnotes
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Competing interests: none declared
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Since the data reported here were collected under her supervision, Sister Purna Shrestha has died. This paper is dedicated to her memory.
