Parents of sick babies are often not able to be with their babies 24/7, and extended family members may not be able to visit at all, depending on how ill or immunocompromised the baby is. Humpty is excited to share that due to new technology, this is no longer the case.
The AngelEye camera system offers live-streaming video access, allowing nurses and doctors to share crucial updates and heartwarming moments of tiny babies in the hospital with their parents, extended family, and caregivers, relieving stress and anxiety caused by physical separation. After a successful pilot study at Townsville Hospital in Queensland, Neonatologist and Research Lead, Professor Yoga Kandasamy, says, ‘Clinicians and hospital staff alike are thrilled about what this technology means for families with sick babies in hospital.’ The AngelEye camera, featuring an LED touchscreen and USB ports attached to the cot, enables families to receive updates on their child via video, pictures and text, breaking down barriers that separate them from their babies during care. In addition, the AngelEye camera includes a real-time family chat and one-way text messaging feature for care teams to provide updates to parents. Professor Kandasamy says one of the most important benefits of the AngelEye is the relief it offers to parents who find it incredibly challenging to leave their babies during extended hospital stays.
Neonatologist & Lead Professor, Yoga Kandasamy & Clinical Nurse, Michelle Baxter at Townsville NICU
'Babies are with us for a long time, sometimes many months. This is very wearing on families, especially if they have other children, jobs, and competing responsibilities at home.’ says Professor Kandasamy.
Research shows that the ability to view their babies in realtime significantly boosts parents' confidence and helps them balance their responsibilities, increasing their well-being. Expected to be fully operational by the end of the year, Townsville Hospital is approaching the final stages of its AngelEye camera system installation.
Humpty’s Director of Medical Programs, Rebekah McLachlan, recently visited Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital (RBWH) to see first-hand what this technology will mean for them. RBWH is Queensland’s largest hospital, seeing more than 4,800 births and over 1800 presentations to the Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU) annually. The pandemic revealed an increasing need for AngelEye cameras. Pieter Koorts, Director of Neonatology, Women’s and Newborn Services at RBWH explained,
‘Covid highlighted the challenge for parents and carers unable to see their newborn or sick baby unless doing shifts (one at a time). This has a significant impact on mental health. The AngelEye cameras are at the bedside and enable parents to view their baby in real time, even if they are at home...
We have a large tertiary NICU that accepts babies from across Queensland, a vast area. Parents are often not able to be always present. We care for many families where English is not their first language. The Patient Connect solution will allow us to send a one-way communication to parents in over 100 different languages to mitigate the language barrier. Parents are unable to visit babies when they are infectious, so this enables them to still share special moments with infants.'
Similarly, Nepean Hospital NICU admits critically ill and extremely premature infants from the Nepean and Blue Mountains area of NSW and caters to the entire Western NSW & Far West NSW Health Districts population. Nepean Hospital's Senior Neonatologist, Dr Ulrike Brandenburg, states, 'We have a high number of families from rural/ regional areas far away with a high Aboriginal population within those communities. This technology will help to alleviate some of the emotional, and financial challenges for families with other children in their care and/or the need to travel long distances.'
By Rebekah McLachlan
Director of Medical Programs & Sector Engagement at Humpty