Mobile App for Caregivers of Infants with Congenital Heart Disease

Application

Software application to connect clinicians and caregivers for the monitoring and collection of health data of infants with congenital heart defects.

Key Benefits

Mobile platform makes key health information easily accessible for caregivers.
Allows remote monitoring of health data by clinical staff.
Provides easier communication between caregiver and clinical staff.

Market Summary

The increased success rate in initial treatment of congenital heart defects (CHD) has led to an increase in the number of infants with CHD that are released from the hospital to non-medical caregivers. Although these infants have been released from hospital care, they still have serious medical conditions, with complex treatment plans. These complicated plans have been found to cause extreme stress and anxiety for the caregivers, which can then decrease the effectiveness of their care. One of the most stressful aspects of care is feeding, and nearly ¼ of CHD patients readmitted to the hospital is due to gastrointestinal issues. Increasing access to educational information by the caregiver and increasing communication between caregiver and clinicians can minimize caregiver stress, maximize infant health, and reduce hospital readmission rates.

Technical Summary

Emory researchers and their collaborators are in the process of developing a mobile software platform to assist caregivers with the complicated treatment plans for infants with CHD. This software will allow the caregiver secured access to the infant’s treatment plan and a way to report treatment delivery and other health metrics directly to clinicians. In addition, the app would include educational information about caring for infants with CHD and techniques to help decrease caregiver anxiety and stress.