In many resource-limited neonatal intensive care units, nurses manually check vital signs at set intervals. This process can delay detection of life-threatening conditions such as apnoea of prematurity or respiratory distress, where timely intervention is critical.

To address this challenge, CIDRZ’s Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Department has launched a low-cost breathing monitoring study for preterm infants at the Women and Newborn Hospital, University Teaching Hospital.

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Accelerometer Study, also known as the DREAM (Detection of Respiratory Events through Acoustics and Motion), tests a small, low-cost, wireless chest-worn device that connects to a smartphone and continuously tracks newborn breathing patterns.

The sensor detects subtle chest movements and uses audio signals to identify breathing irregularities.

Newborns admitted to the NICU will be monitored using a small, lightweight sensor placed gently on the chest. The sensor will monitor each newborn for 4 hours. A later phase will assess longer monitoring for up to 24 hours. Monitoring data will be analysed and used to build improved Artificial Intelligence models.

Eligible participants are newborns admitted to the NICU at UTH Women and Newborn Hospital, with consent provided by a parent or guardian aged 18 or older.

This initiative is an important step toward advancing practical, affordable, and locally adaptable digital health solutions to improve newborn survival and care in Zambia.