Loading...
Clinicians often are expected to estimate a patient's blood loss based on observation of blood on the stretcher or floor, on dressings or garments, or in a bedpan or toilet bowl, but are these estimates accurate? These authors asked 56 emergency physicians (30 attendings and 26 residents) to estimate the amount of moulage blood present in four scenarios: (1) 500 mL on a gurney, (2) 25 mL on a 10-pack of 4 x 4-inch gauze, (3) 100 mL on a T-shirt, and (4) 150 mL in a toilet bowl. The attending physicians had a median of 8 years of experience.
The mean standard error for estimates was 116% and ranged from 0% to 1233%. Only 8% of estimates were within 20% of the correct amount. Small amounts were overestimated, and large amounts were underestima…