Teleassistance for remote home oxygen monitoring in neonates.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the feasibility and clinical impact of an IoT-based teleassistance system for remote monitoring of preterm neonates receiving home oxygen therapy.

METHODS

A historically controlled cohort study was conducted in Manizales, Colombia, with three phases: (1) baseline data collection from neonates receiving traditional follow-up (n=32), (2) development of an Internet of Things (IoT)-based teleassistance system integrating physiological monitoring, cloud storage, and mobile applications, and (3) pilot testing in a prospective intervention cohort (n=25). The primary outcome was the duration of home oxygen therapy.

RESULTS

Median duration of home oxygen therapy was reduced from 34 days (IQR 25-46) in the control group to 10 days (IQR 7-17) in the intervention group (p<0.001). Reliable communication was achieved through 4G and Wi-Fi, while LoRa performance was limited by geographic constraints.

CONCLUSIONS

IoT-based teleassistance was associated with a reduction in the duration of home oxygen therapy in preterm neonates and demonstrated feasibility for remote monitoring in resource-limited settings.