Babies to Don Wearable Tech

Aug 01,2016

India has one of the highest neonatal mortality rates and in the absence of adequate facilities in most rural hospitals, neonates may not receive timely care, which may lead to further health complications. To address this major problem, researchers from Robert Bosch Center for Cyber Physical Systems at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), and St John's Research Institute (SJRI), both based in Bengaluru, have developed a wearable sensor, which picks up temperature abnormalities in newborn babies and transmits it remotely to the phone of a health worker or raises audible alarms for the family member to be alerted immediately, or if no corrective action is taken.

CLINICAL TRIAL
The first-of-its-kind sensor device and the back-end analytics system are undergoing a feasibility study and clinical trial currently among a few dozen mother-baby pairs from urban hospital settings in Bengaluru. The system is being tested for data capture-validation and alert response to the mother/village health worker/hospital. In the next phase, this device is proposed to be tested in rural settings of the country.

"The nenonatal monitoring device, which is strapped on to the baby's abdomen, is currently being tested by St John's Research Institute," said IISc Prof Bharadwaj Amrutur, who is working with Prof Prem Mony of SJRI, along with other researchers from both institutes.

"We are currently in the second phase of the tests, where we are testing the device in a controlled group of 100 mothers and babies at hospitals in Bengaluru. The aim is to ascertain how safe and comfortable it is for the baby. One-third of the target has been achieved. In the next phase, we will test the device in rural hospitals in Karnataka," Dr Mony, Prof of Epidemiology & Population Health, told Bangalore Mirror.

INSPIRED BY 'KANGAROO MOTHER CARE'
This technology is also useful for testing compliance with a simple method of care for preterm or low-birth-weight (LBW) infants called Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO). According to WHO, Kangaroo mother care is care of preterm or LBW infants, carried skin-to-skin with the mother. It is a powerful, easy-to-use method to promote the health and well-being of infants born preterm as well as full-term. It is also a cost-effective method as compared to incubators or warmers used routinely.

"Some 20 million low-birth-weight (LBW) babies are born each year, because of either preterm birth or impaired prenatal growth, mostly in less developed countries. They contribute substantially to a high rate of neonatal mortality whose frequency and distribution correspond to those of poverty. LBW and preterm birth are thus associated with high neonatal and infant mortality and morbidity. Of the estimated 4 million neonatal deaths, preterm and LBW babies represent nearly a third, directly or indirectly. Therefore, the care of such infants becomes a burden for health and social systems everywhere. For many small preterm infants, receiving prolonged medical care is important. However, Kangaroo Mother Care is an effective way to meet baby's needs for warmth, breastfeeding, protection from infection, stimulation, safety and love," says a WHO study on KMC.

The device being tested by researchers in Bengaluru takes inspiration from KMC guidelines and measures the body temperatures of the baby and mother, as also the position of baby, that is the resting angle of baby.

According to 2014 estimates of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, about 27 per cent of all babies were born with low birth weight (LBW) in India. Experts said despite the fact that among the primary interventions available for care of low birth weight or prematurity in newborns, Kangaroo Mother Care is recognised as a high-impact and cost-effective intervention, it continues to be under-utilised in India. Accordingly researchers, including those from SJRI are looking at ways to close this implementation gap.

According to SJRI's website, two key project areas include "development of KMC sensor for position and temperature" and "accelerating scale-up of Kangaroo mother care."

http://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/others/Babies-to-don-wearable-tech/articleshow/53479391.cms 

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