VBAC Resource for Midwives vs CALIPER App

VBAC Reference for Midwives offers easy access to research-based information on risks, benefits and other considerations relevant to a woman's decisions around vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC). This app is intended for Ontario midwives' use in facilitating informed choice discussions with clients who have a history of one or more previous low-segment caesarean section. While midwives outside Ontario are welcome to use this tool, as well as other maternity care providers, some information may be specific to the context in which Ontario-based registered midwives provide care. This app is designed for use in conjunction with the Association of Ontario Midwives' Clinical Practice Guideline No. 14: Vaginal Birth After Previous Low Segment Caesarean Section (2011). Users of the app are encouraged to refer to the clinical practice guideline for a complete analysis of the research relevant to VBAC and midwifery practice, along with full citations. VBAC Resource for Midwives is intended as a reference tool for clinicians and is not intended to dictate a course of action. Proper use of this tool requires awareness of your client’s clinical circumstances, and needs and values, as well as familiarity with your local circumstances and standards of practice. The development of this app was generously supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

The CALIPER App has been developed for paediatricians, family physicians, other healthcare workers, as well as parents worldwide. It is a user friendly and easy tool to assess a child’s laboratory test results using the latest reference value database developed based on values in healthy children and adolescents. Quickly and easily compare individual laboratory test results to a database of normal values (reference intervals) covering more than 100 tests routinely performed to assess children with various medical concerns. The CALIPER database has been validated and published in international medical journals and accepted worldwide as the most up to date reference resource available anywhere. Reference intervals represent the range of values that healthy, normal individuals are expected to display for various laboratory tests. When a patient’s results fall outside of this expected range, this alerts physicians and laboratory professionals to the need for follow-up testing and can signal that changes to treatment or monitoring are required. The reference intervals included in this application were determined as part of the Canadian Laboratory Initiative for Pediatric Reference Intervals (CALIPER) at the Hospital for Sick Children, an ongoing nation-wide study of normal values in paediatric lab results. Until recently, only outdated or inaccurate values were available for many paediatric lab tests. CALIPER provides reference intervals that reflect the influence of the rapid developmental and hormonal changes occurring during childhood. All reference intervals reported here were developed using the most up-to-date laboratory testing equipment available from Abbott Diagnostics. To use the app, simply select the test of interest, enter an individual’s results, and select their sex and age from the drop-down menu. An output will display how these results relate to CALIPER reference database, allowing for efficient and easy comparison. With your phone at hand, you will never be without this simple, portable tool for evaluating lab tests results on the go. For a complete list of tests available as part of this application, or for additional support, please visit the CALIPER website.