Parents of ill or premature newborn babies needed for new research

November 24, 2009 by Shawn Douglas
Filed under: Baby Health, News

Parents of ill or premature babies in and around the Aberdeenshire or Dundee areas of Scotland are needed for a new research program.

Researchers out of the University of Aberdeen are looking for volunteers to test a new computer system called BabyTalk. The system has been designed to give parents of critically ill newborns textual information that is easy to understand and meant to supplement existing information by doctors.

Saad Mahamood, of University of Aberdeen’s Department of Computing, told the BBC, “Our new computer system will produce secure automatic online updates about the baby so that parents can get news day and night, even when they are away from the ward.”

“Whilst this does not replace talking to medical staff, it does provide an extra source of information and support for the parents, helping to decrease their anxiety,” he added.

The researchers are seeking volunteers in the Aberdeenshire or Dundee areas of Scotland, specifically those parents that remember their experiences in dealing with their children’s neonatal care.

Volunteers will be given 10 different sets of text generated by the BabyTalk system and will be asked to choose the most appealing text out of each set. Additionally, volunteers will be given the opportunity to test the automated delivery system that is able to send the reports to designated friends and family.

Wendy Moncur, also on the research team, is encouraging everyone that qualifies to participate in the brief program.

“We are looking for volunteers who have had personal experience of a baby in neonatal care to try out our system,” Moncur said.

“They don’t need to know anything about computers to take part. The study is an opportunity to have input into technology which could improve the experience of parents whose babies are admitted into neonatal care in the future.”

For more details about the study and its requirements, please go to www.csd.abdn.ac.uk/btfamily/