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Baby CareLink
Baby CareLink: Using the Internet and Telemedicine to Improve Care for High-Risk Infants. Gray JE, Safran C, Davis RB, et al. Pediatrics 2000; 106: 1318-24.
Baby CareLink is a telemedicine program which incorporates videoconferencing and World Wide Web technologies to provide enhanced medical, informational and emotional support to families of VLBW infants during and after their NICU stay. The videoconferencing module allows virtual visits and distance learning from a family’s home during an infant’s hospitalization, as well as virtual house calls and remote monitoring after discharge. The Baby CareLink’s WWW site contains information on issues that confront these families. In addition, its security architecture allows efficient and confidential sharing of patient-based data and communications among authorized hospital and community users. Data collected on 26 patients enrolled in the Baby CareLink program and 30 matched control patients showed improved satisfaction with NICU care lower costs associated with hospital to hospital transfers.
Comment. Welcome to the future. This type of program will be an overnight hit with the families of VLBW babies. There will be a variety of technical problems, as well as security and legal issues, to deal with, but the benefits in family satisfaction will outweigh the hassles.
Andrew B. Kairalla MD