Evaluating the NeoTree in Malawi and Zimbabwe

Summary

Neonatal mortality remains unacceptably high. Globally, the majority of mothers now deliver in health facilities in low resource settings where quality of newborn care is poor. Health systems strengthening through digitial quality improvement systems, such as the Neotree, are a potential solution. The overarching aim of this study is to complete the co-development of NeoTree-gamma with key functionalities configured, operationalised, tested and ready for large scale roll out across low resource settings.

Specific study objectives are as follows:

1. To further develop and test the NeoTree at tertiary facilities in Malawi and Zimbabwe
2. To investigate HCPs and parent/carer view of the NeoTree, including how acceptable and usable HCWs find the app, and potential barriers and enablers to implementing/using it in practice.
3. To collect outcome data for newborns from representative sites where NeoTree is not implemented.
4. To test the clinical validity of key NeoTree diagnostic algorithms, e.g. neonatal sepsis and hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) against gold standard or best available standard diagnoses.
5. To add dashboards and data linkage to the functionality of the NeoTree
6. To develop and test proof of concept for communicating daily electronic medical records (EMR) using NeoTree
7. To initiate a multi-country network of newborn health care workers, policy makers and academics.
8. To estimate cost of implementing NeoTree at all sites and potential costs at scale

Conditions

• Prematurity
• Neonatal Encephalopathy
• Neonatal Sepsis
• Neonatal Death
• Neonatal Seizure
• Neonatal Jaundice
• Neonatal Hypoglycemia
• Neonatal Hypothermia
• Neonatal Disorder
• Neonatal Respiratory Failure

Interventions

DEVICE

Neotree

The Neotree is a digital app, data collection and quality improvement system. collecting and collating routine health data at the bedside for babies on admission and discharge and for laboratory results. it provides point of care education and clinical decision support to optimise the clinical care of sick and vulnerable newborns according to approved and best available clinical guidelines.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Biomedical Research and Training Institute, Zimbabwe

  collaborator OTHER

• PACHI Malawi - Parent and Child Health Initiative Trust

  collaborator OTHER

• Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, Zimbabwe

  collaborator OTHER

• University College, London

  lead OTHER

Eligibility

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2019-10-01

Primary Completion

2022-09-01

Completion

2022-09-01

Countries

• Malawi
• Zimbabwe

Study Locations