Mangaluru: A new KMC-NITK-led project will bring developmental support for preterm babies into homes, with ASHA workers guiding parents through activities and doctors monitoring children through teleconsultation during the crucial first two years of life.The three-year project, led by Dr Suchetha S Rao, professor and head, department of paediatrics, Kasturba Medical College (KMC), Mangaluru, has received a Rs 1.28-crore grant from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and is scheduled to begin in Nov.The project seeks to make developmental interventions more accessible, particularly for families in rural and remote areas who find repeated hospital visits difficult.“The idea is to take early intervention to the child’s home. ASHA workers will be trained and supported through a digital platform, which will provide them with customised instructions and videos on activities that parents can carry out with their babies,” Dr Suchetha said.The intervention will be tailored to each child’s developmental needs, as the nature and severity of difficulties can vary among preterm infants. Doctors at KMC will monitor the children through teleconsultation and guide ASHA workers.Dr Suchetha said early intervention is particularly important during the first two years of life, when the developing brain has a greater capacity to adapt. The project also aims to reduce the number of children lost to follow-up after hospital discharge.Initial clinical enrolment will be through Govt Lady Goschen Hospital. The first seven to eight months will be spent developing and testing the digital platform and its backend systems.Titled ‘Development, validation and evaluation of an integrated digital platform and ASHA-supported home-based intervention to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes in moderate and late preterm infants’, the project will bring together paediatricians, community medicine specialists, engineers and ASHA workers.The team includes Dr Laxmi Kamath, assistant professor, paediatrics; Dr Prasanna Mithra, professor and head, community medicine, KMC; and Dr Sowmya Kamath, associate professor, IT, NITK, Surathkal.Dr Suchetha said the ICMR funding, awarded through a competitive national-level process, also recognised the need for multidisciplinary collaboration to improve outcomes for preterm babies.“The strength of this project is the collaboration between the medical and engineering institutions and the involvement of community health workers. It is a team effort to ensure that children receive the intervention even when they cannot come to the hospital regularly,” she said.She acknowledged the support of the KMC Mangalore and NITK administrations and district health authorities.
