CALIPER App vs GrowthPlot

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 Until recently, only outdated or inaccurate values were available for many paediatric lab tests.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.

The “GrowthPlot” app plots selected growth parameters (length/height, weight, body-mass index, weight-for-length and head circumference) for typically growing children (using either the “WHO Growth Charts for Canada, March 2014 revision” or the “2000 CDC Growth Charts” reference. You can also plot selected growth parameters (length/height, weight, weight-for-length/height, body-mass index and head circumference) for children with a number of syndromes (Turner, Down, Noonan, Prader–Willi, Russell–Silver and Klinefelter) using the QuickChart API, which results in a link which allows you to save or share the chart image. Citations are provided for each reference range used for these calculations.