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Digital technologies to improve the precision of paediatric growth disorder diagnosis and management
Leo Dunkel1, Luis Fernandez-Luque2, Sandro Loche3
1Centre for Endocrinology, William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and the London Medical School, 1st Floor, John Vane Science Centre, Charterhouse Square, London ECe1M 6BQ, UK.
Insights
Digital health technologies can improve management of pediatric growth disorders by enhancing early diagnosis and treatment adherence. Innovations like AI and electronic devices offer personalized care, leading to better growth outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Digital Health
- Growth Disorders
Background:
- Paediatric disorders of impaired linear growth present management challenges due to delayed diagnosis, long-term therapy needs, and poor treatment adherence.
- Human growth hormone (hGH) therapy adherence is often suboptimal, limiting treatment benefits.
- Digital health technologies offer potential solutions for personalized care in pediatric growth disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the role of digital health technologies in improving the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of paediatric growth disorders.
- To highlight how technology can enhance personalization of care and adherence to treatments like hGH therapy.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing and emerging digital health technologies, including automated growth monitoring systems, artificial intelligence (AI) for data analysis, and augmented reality (AR) for patient education.
- Examination of technology-assisted adherence monitoring, exemplified by electronic injection devices that record hGH administration.
- Discussion of the integration of technological advances with healthcare provider interventions.
Main Results:
- Automated systems demonstrate greater effectiveness than manual methods for early diagnosis of abnormal growth.
- Electronic injection devices are associated with high adherence rates to hGH treatment and improved growth outcomes.
- AI can help standardize growth data analysis, and AR can improve patient/caregiver education on disorders and treatments.
Conclusions:
- Digital health technologies significantly enhance the management of paediatric growth disorders through improved diagnosis, personalized care, and adherence support.
- Technological innovations, combined with healthcare professional support, are expected to further optimize outcomes for children with growth impairments.
- Personalized adherence strategies, enabled by devices like electronic injectors, are crucial for achieving therapeutic goals.
Abstract:
Paediatric disorders of impaired linear growth are challenging to manage, in part because of delays in the identification of pathological short stature and subsequent referral and diagnosis, the requirement for long-term therapy, and frequent poor adherence to treatment, notably with human growth hormone (hGH). Digital health technologies hold promise for improving outcomes in paediatric growth disorders by supporting personalisation of care, from diagnosis to treatment and follow up. The value of automated systems in monitoring linear growth in children has been demonstrated in Finland, with findings that such a system is more effective than a traditional manual system for early diagnosis of abnormal growth. Artificial intelligence has potential to resolve problems of variability that may occur during analysis of growth information, and augmented reality systems have been developed that aim to educate patients and caregivers about growth disorders and their treatment (such as injection techniques for hGH administration). Adherence to hGH treatment is often suboptimal, which negatively impacts the achievement of physical and psychological benefits of the treatment. Personalisation of adherence support necessitates capturing individual patient adherence data; the use of technology to assist with this is exemplified by the use of an electronic injection device, which shares real-time recordings of the timing, date and dose of hGH delivered to the patient with the clinician, via web-based software. The use of an electronic device is associated with high levels of adherence to hGH treatment and improved growth outcomes. It can be anticipated that future technological advances, coupled with continued 'human interventions' from healthcare providers, will further improve management of paediatric growth disorders.
