Periodic Reporting for period 2 - Picterus Jaundice mHealth platform (Bringing newborn care home: An integral mHealth solution for neonatal jaundice management.)
Reporting period: 2024-09-01 to 2025-08-31
Neonatal jaundice affects 60–80% of newborns worldwide, with severe cases leading to permanent brain damage or death for thousands each year. Existing screening methods—visual assessment, and transcutaneous devices—are often insufficient, especially in resource-limited settings. Health systems face increasing pressure to deliver sustainable care models and empower families. The digital platform Jaundice@Home, together with Picterus Jaundice Pro - a smartphone-based medical device, addresses these challenges by enabling parents and caregivers to screen for neonatal jaundice at home and facilitating timely referrals to healthcare services. The project’s overarching goal is to improve early detection, reduce emergency visits, and enhance healthcare efficiency, with significant expected impacts on cost savings, operational capacity, and equitable access to care.
The project delivered a robust technical solution through five work packages. The core platform, Jaundice@Home, was developed and optimized in collaboration with medical experts and lay users. Usability studies in culturally diverse countries led to improvements in authentication, navigation, data visualization, and notification systems. The platform now features secure data management, interoperability with healthcare systems, and enhanced user experience for professionals. Regulatory milestones include successful registrations in multiple countries for Picterus Jaundice Pro, with ongoing efforts for further market expansion. The platform is commercially deployed, demonstrating operational maturity and readiness for routine neonatal jaundice management.
Picterus digital platform Jaundice@Home advances neonatal jaundice management beyond current standards by offering a solution for both healthcare professionals and lay users. The platform’s secure, GDPR-compliant architecture, role-based access control, and interoperability set new benchmarks for digital health tools. The project’s health economics analysis highlights substantial cost savings and operational efficiencies, while clinical studies in diverse settings validate its effectiveness and scalability. To further scale up, a key need is the ongoing integration of user feedback from healthcare professionals and families, ensuring the platform continues to evolve in response to real-world requirements and supports continuous improvement. The platform’s ability to reduce hospital visits and environmental impact, while improving access to care in underserved areas, positions it as a transformative solution in pediatric health. Ongoing stakeholder engagement, scientific publications, and educational initiatives support broader adoption and impact.