Ashwini Lakshmanan, MD, MS, MPH, FAAP, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine (KPSOM) Associate Professor of Health Systems Science, has co-authored a study that reviewed mobile applications (apps) aimed at supporting parents during their transition from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to home. The research reveals the lack of well-evaluated solutions designed to address the unique challenges faced by parents of NICU babies and emphasizes the importance of involving key stakeholders, such as healthcare practitioners, in the app development process to ensure relevancy and effectiveness.
The study findings underscore the potential for mobile apps to mitigate disparities in follow-up care and support parents of medically complex babies. The study also highlights the urgent need for more comprehensive app development and evaluation, calling for parents and healthcare providers to collaborate in creating effective app solutions that address the challenges of the NICU-to-home transition, ensuring better care for these special patient populations.
