SINGAPORE: Parents may soon be able to scan for signs of jaundice in their newborns from the comfort of home via an app developed specifically for the skin tones of Asian babies.
Neonatal jaundice affects 60 per cent of infants and 80 per cent of premature babies, Singapore General Hospital (SGH) said in a statement on Friday (Jan 10).
The condition occurs when a baby has a high level of bilirubin in their blood, a yellow pigment resulting from the natural breakdown of red blood cells that causes the tint seen in jaundice.
The condition is usually self-limiting, and bilirubin levels typically reach safe levels after the baby’s first two to three weeks, SGH said.
“However, early detection and regular monitoring is recommended as severe jaundice can cause permanent brain damage, and other long-term complications, such as intellectual and motor disabilities as well as developmental delays,” the hospital added.
For the first two to three weeks of their lives, infants have to undergo screening for the condition, which typically involves frequent clinic visits, SGH noted.
Currently, newborns are screened by means of using a light-emitting handheld gadget to measure the yellowness of the baby’s skin or a heel prick to obtain a blood sample, both of which are done in a healthcare setting.
This may worry parents about exposing their infants to airborne diseases, doctors said.
Parents face several challenges in the early stages, including lack of sleep, said principal investigator Dr Alvin Ngeow.
He noted that mothers in particular may be going through recovery from childbirth and postpartum blues.
Such stressors for parents were taken into consideration in the development of the app so that they can check for jaundice accurately in the safety and comfort of their own homes, said the senior consultant at SGH's Neonatal and Developmental Medicine Department.
He added that while apps for this purpose are not new, most of them only take a single point of reference such as the forehead to determine if a child has jaundice.
“In fact, a newborn with jaundice can have varying degrees of yellowness in different parts of the body. Furthermore, the other apps were developed in other countries for babies who may have skin tones that are different from that of (our) local population, a factor that has bearing on accuracy,” Dr Ngeow said.
The app, jointly developed by SGH, SingHealth Polyclinics (SHP) and national healthtech agency Synapxe, takes readings from the chest and abdomen, and works with both lighter and darker skin tones.
Results of the study’s first phase showed that the readings of the close to 550 babies who were screened were all accurate when compared with blood tests, said Dr Ngeow.
The study did not miss a single case of significant jaundice, he added.
The findings were published in JAMA Network Open, a peer-reviewed medical journal, in December last year.
Clinical associate professor Tan Ngiap Chuan, director of research at SHP, said that at the four polyclinics where the study has been implemented, the app, BiliSG, has been “very accurate”.
“This is potentially a game changer. It can transform the way we manage babies and also to provide a higher level of comfort and confidence to parents, to ensure that their babies’ brain health is well-preserved,” he said.
He added there are plans to integrate the app with existing teleconsultation services along with the app so parents can seek further information when they check for jaundice in their babies.
However, the app is still some time away from being launched as it has only been tested on one phone brand and model, said Dr Ngeow.
Over the next 18 months, more comprehensive testing will be conducted. The app will be used on about 2,000 babies, some outside the clinical setting, on multiple phone models and operating systems.
The nationwide pilot will involve the paediatric hospitals – SGH, National University Hospital and KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital – as well as polyclinics.
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Neonatal jaundice affects 60 per cent of infants and 80 per cent of premature babies, Singapore General Hospital (SGH) said in a statement on Friday (Jan 10).
The condition occurs when a baby has a high level of bilirubin in their blood, a yellow pigment resulting from the natural breakdown of red blood cells that causes the tint seen in jaundice.
The condition is usually self-limiting, and bilirubin levels typically reach safe levels after the baby’s first two to three weeks, SGH said.
“However, early detection and regular monitoring is recommended as severe jaundice can cause permanent brain damage, and other long-term complications, such as intellectual and motor disabilities as well as developmental delays,” the hospital added.
DEVELOPING THE APP
For the first two to three weeks of their lives, infants have to undergo screening for the condition, which typically involves frequent clinic visits, SGH noted.
Currently, newborns are screened by means of using a light-emitting handheld gadget to measure the yellowness of the baby’s skin or a heel prick to obtain a blood sample, both of which are done in a healthcare setting.
This may worry parents about exposing their infants to airborne diseases, doctors said.
Parents face several challenges in the early stages, including lack of sleep, said principal investigator Dr Alvin Ngeow.
He noted that mothers in particular may be going through recovery from childbirth and postpartum blues.
Such stressors for parents were taken into consideration in the development of the app so that they can check for jaundice accurately in the safety and comfort of their own homes, said the senior consultant at SGH's Neonatal and Developmental Medicine Department.
He added that while apps for this purpose are not new, most of them only take a single point of reference such as the forehead to determine if a child has jaundice.
“In fact, a newborn with jaundice can have varying degrees of yellowness in different parts of the body. Furthermore, the other apps were developed in other countries for babies who may have skin tones that are different from that of (our) local population, a factor that has bearing on accuracy,” Dr Ngeow said.
The app, jointly developed by SGH, SingHealth Polyclinics (SHP) and national healthtech agency Synapxe, takes readings from the chest and abdomen, and works with both lighter and darker skin tones.
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HIGH ACCURACY
Results of the study’s first phase showed that the readings of the close to 550 babies who were screened were all accurate when compared with blood tests, said Dr Ngeow.
The study did not miss a single case of significant jaundice, he added.
The findings were published in JAMA Network Open, a peer-reviewed medical journal, in December last year.
Clinical associate professor Tan Ngiap Chuan, director of research at SHP, said that at the four polyclinics where the study has been implemented, the app, BiliSG, has been “very accurate”.
“This is potentially a game changer. It can transform the way we manage babies and also to provide a higher level of comfort and confidence to parents, to ensure that their babies’ brain health is well-preserved,” he said.
He added there are plans to integrate the app with existing teleconsultation services along with the app so parents can seek further information when they check for jaundice in their babies.
However, the app is still some time away from being launched as it has only been tested on one phone brand and model, said Dr Ngeow.
Over the next 18 months, more comprehensive testing will be conducted. The app will be used on about 2,000 babies, some outside the clinical setting, on multiple phone models and operating systems.
The nationwide pilot will involve the paediatric hospitals – SGH, National University Hospital and KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital – as well as polyclinics.
Continue reading...