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The future of follow-up: technology-enabled medical and developmental follow-up care for NICU graduates
Ryan Cl Brewster1, Janene H Fuerch2, Jonathan S Litt2
1Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA. rbrewster@stanford.edu.
Insights
Technology can improve specialized follow-up care for premature infants after neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) discharge. Innovations in AI and digital health offer enhanced monitoring and coordination, addressing care fragmentation and inequities.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Medicine
- Health Services Research
- Digital Health
Background:
- Premature infants face higher risks of long-term health and developmental issues.
- Current neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) follow-up care is fragmented, with access inequities leading to increased healthcare costs.
- Technology offers potential solutions to optimize NICU follow-up care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight emerging technology-enabled care applications for NICU graduates.
- To provide pragmatic recommendations for integrating technology into follow-up care.
- To address challenges in implementation and equity for technology adoption.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent advances in artificial intelligence, digital health, and connected devices.
- Analysis of opportunities for enhanced family education, care coordination, and remote monitoring.
- Discussion of operational capabilities required for successful technology adoption.
Main Results:
- AI, digital health, and connected devices enable improved family education, discharge planning, and care coordination.
- Remote patient monitoring and neurodevelopmental surveillance can be enhanced through technology.
- Family-centered design and aligned payment models are crucial for successful innovation adoption.
Conclusions:
- Technology-enabled care presents significant opportunities to optimize NICU follow-up.
- Integrating technology can improve care coordination, monitoring, and equity for premature infants.
- Strategic implementation focusing on family needs and payment models is essential for realizing benefits.
Abstract:
Premature infants are at higher risk of long-term clinical and developmental sequelae compared to their term counterparts. Specialized, multidisciplinary follow-up care for patients who are discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit is essential; however, there remains significant fragmentation of health services along with geographic and socioeconomic inequities in access and outcomes, contributing to excess healthcare utilization and costs. Technology has the potential to optimize the provision of NICU follow-up care. Recent advances in artificial intelligence, digital health, and connected devices have created novel opportunities for enhanced family education and discharge planning, care coordination, remote patient monitoring, and neurodevelopmental surveillance. Successful adoption of these innovations depends on key operational capabilities, including family-centered design and alignment of payment models. In this Perspective article, we highlight emerging applications of technology-enabled care with an emphasis on pragmatic recommendations focused on care integration, implementation, and equity.
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