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The Baby Moves prospective cohort study protocol: using a smartphone application with the General Movements
A J Spittle1, J Olsen2, A Kwong1
1Department of Physiotherapy, School of Health Science, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia Victorian Infant Brain Studies, Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia Newborn Research, The Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Insights
A smartphone app called Baby Moves allows remote General Movements Assessment (GMA) for preterm infants. This study assesses its ability to predict neurodevelopmental impairments in extremely preterm/low birth weight infants.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal neurology
- Developmental pediatrics
- Digital health applications
Background:
- Infants born extremely preterm or with extremely low birth weight face heightened risks of neurodevelopmental issues.
- Predicting long-term impairments in these infants for timely intervention is challenging.
- The General Movements Assessment (GMA) shows high predictive validity but has accessibility limitations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the predictive accuracy of the Baby Moves smartphone application for identifying neurodevelopmental impairment in extremely preterm/extremely low birth weight infants.
- To determine if GMA, when administered via a mobile app, can effectively screen for adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Prospective cohort study of extremely preterm/extremely low birth weight infants and a control group in Victoria, Australia.
- Caregivers used the Baby Moves app to record infant general movements at 3-4 months corrected age.
- Neurodevelopmental outcomes (developmental delay, cerebral palsy) assessed at 2 years corrected age.
Main Results:
- The study aims to determine the predictive ability of the Baby Moves app for neurodevelopmental impairment.
- Parental satisfaction with the app will also be assessed.
- Results will establish the utility of mobile health technology in neonatal neurodevelopmental screening.
Conclusions:
- The Baby Moves app offers a potential solution to overcome geographical and professional barriers in accessing GMA.
- This technology could facilitate early identification and intervention for high-risk infants.
- Further research will confirm the app's clinical utility in diverse settings.
Introduction:
Infants born extremely preterm (EP; <28 weeks' gestation) and/or with extremely low birth weight (ELBW; <1000 g birth weight) are at increased risk for adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. However, it is challenging to predict those EP/ELBW infants destined to have long-term neurodevelopmental impairments in order to target early intervention to those in most need. The General Movements Assessment (GMA) in early infancy has high predictive validity for neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants. However, access to a GMA may be limited by geographical constraints and a lack of GMA-trained health professionals. Baby Moves is a smartphone application (app) developed for caregivers to video and upload their infant's general movements to be scored remotely by a certified GMA assessor. The aim of this study is to determine the predictive ability of using the GMA via the Baby Moves app for neurodevelopmental impairment in infants born EP/ELBW.
Methods And Analysis:
This prospective cohort study will recruit infants born EP/ELBW across the state of Victoria, Australia in 2016 and 2017. A control group of normal birth weight (>2500 g birth weight), term-born (≥37 weeks' gestation) infants will also be recruited as a local reference group. Parents will video their infant's general movements at two time points between 3 and 4 months' corrected age using the Baby Moves app. Videos will be scored by certified GMA assessors and classified as normal or abnormal. Parental satisfaction using the Baby Moves app will be assessed via survey. Neurodevelopmental outcome at 2 years' corrected age includes developmental delay according to the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-III and cerebral palsy diagnosis.
Ethics And Dissemination:
This study was approved by the Human Research and Ethics Committees at the Royal Children's Hospital, The Royal Women's Hospital, Monash Health and Mercy Health in Melbourne, Australia. Study findings will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.
